This afternoon, the New York Islanders interrupt what would’ve been a four-game road trip with a matinee home date with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were just here and got romped when they were.
The Bolts, who arguably have become one of the Isles’ biggest rivals due to their playoff battles, currently hold one of the two wild cards. Their depth has been eaten away by salary cap constraints due to their Stanley Cup-winning core getting paid, so they aren’t the Lightning of old. But they are still the Lightning.
And if the Islanders want to keep their dim playoff hopes lit, they need a regulation win today, full stop.