Tavares and Montoya Steal The Show; Lightning Strike Is A Dud

    The first two games of the season showcased that the New York Islanders could be in for another long season. There wasn't enough firepower and the top line only managed two points through those games. They proved everyone wrong on thursday while taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning. John Tavares had four points in the first period and his line was all over the place while Al Montoya definitely took advantage of his third consecutive start making 34 saves. It certainly didn't help that the Lightning continued to shoot themselves in the foot with awful turnovers and undisciplined defensive zone coverage and play.

The game started off in odd fashion as Tavares took a slap shot from the circles that former Islander Dwayne Roloson batted away only to have a backchecking Victor Hedman glove the puck in as he attempted to swat it out of harms way.   Tavares took the momentum and ran with it as he and Matt Moulson both got whacks at a rebound with Moulson knocking it in. After a brutal giveaway between the circles by Hedman, Tavares curled into the slot and set up PA Parenteau to the side of the net for the third goal of the period. The line continued to click when with 3:45 remaining in the first, Tavares went hard to the net and Moulson hit him with a ridiculously sharp angle pass from the bottom of the circle that was an easy tap in to give the Islanders a 4-1 lead going into the second. Steven Stamkos scored the only Tampa Bay goal to tie it at 1-1 midway through the period.

Tavares wanted his line to make something happen despite a poor start to the season and coach Jack Capuano said it certainly showed.

"He played relaxed. He went out and did the little things," Capuano said of Tavares. "I thought he had an excellent game. I thought he was the best player on the ice." 

"We were hungry out there," Tavares said. "It was only two games. There are still 79 to go, but it's always nice to break the ice and get a positive feeling and get rewarded."

The Lightning know they have their problems to solve and need to solve them quickly. Allowing early goals and playing erratically in their own zone and the neutral zone. Goaltending also is an issue, but it certainly not to be blamed. Roloson was pulled in the second period as Mathieu Garon stopped 16 shot in relief. Don't be surprised if Garon start their next contest. Stamkos acknowledges that the early mistakes are going to make for long nights.

"If you give up four goals in the first period, you're not going to win many games," Stamkos said.

Long Island has to be liking their problem between the pipes as they have two former All-Star goalies on the roster and a 26-year old with 29 games of NHL experience has started every game. This will be a delicate situation to monitor as Evgeni Nabokov surely wants to prove his worth while Rick DiPietro is temporarily sidelined due to a puck he took of his mask.

The Islanders will make a name for themselves if they continue their hard work while the Lightning will destroy the name they started to build last season after a very slow start going 1-2-1 to start the season.

-Dustin Lundberg