The Lightning’s seven-game win streak had to end at some point, and Tuesday night on Long Island, it finally did. Their 2-1 loss to the Islanders at UBS Arena snapped a run that saw Tampa Bay playing some of their most cohesive two-way hockey of the season. And while this wasn’t their sharpest outing, it was still a winnable game that came down to the final minutes.
Tampa Bay didn’t get on the board until late - rookie center Dominic James buried one with just 3:34 left in regulation - but by then, they were already playing catch-up. After pulling Andrei Vasilevskiy for an extra attacker, they pushed hard for the equalizer but couldn’t solve Ilya Sorokin a second time.
This game was a departure from what had fueled the Lightning’s recent success. During the streak, they controlled play with strong puck possession and disciplined defensive work in their own zone.
On Tuesday, both of those areas slipped. The Islanders capitalized on that drop-off early in the second period, when Bo Horvat found himself with too much space and time.
After his initial shot was stopped, he stayed with it and knocked in his own rebound just 55 seconds into the frame - a sequence that exposed all three Lightning forwards trailing the play.
The Islanders doubled their lead midway through the third, and this one had a familiar face at the center of it. Former Lightning forward Anthony Duclair disrupted Pontus Holmberg’s attempt to clear the puck out of Tampa Bay’s zone, and the puck found its way back to Duclair at the left hash marks. He wasted no time, snapping a wrist shot past Vasilevskiy to make it 2-0.
Special teams didn’t help Tampa Bay’s cause, either. The Lightning had three power-play opportunities but managed just two shots in six minutes with the man advantage. That unit has now gone 1-for-12 over the last five games - a stretch that’s starting to raise eyebrows given the offensive talent on the roster.
Still, there were chances late. After James’ goal - a slick effort where he curled behind the net and beat Sorokin from a tight angle below the right circle - the Lightning pressed.
Sorokin, though, stood tall. He stopped 29 of 30 shots on the night, including some high-danger looks in the final moments.
Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel each had clean chances from the slot, and Guentzel nearly tucked one in from the right post. Meanwhile, the Islanders missed two empty-netters that could’ve iced it, leaving the door open just long enough for a little drama.
Vasilevskiy’s personal win streak ended at six games, but his performance wasn’t the issue. He turned away 21 of 23 shots and held the Islanders to two goals or fewer for the sixth time in his last seven starts. That kind of consistency between the pipes gives Tampa Bay a chance most nights - but on this one, the margin for error was just too slim.
The Lightning will look to regroup quickly. This wasn’t a collapse - far from it - but it was a reminder of how tight the margins are when you're playing playoff-caliber hockey in December.