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Lightning throttle Islanders after early fireworks

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Nikita Kucherov scored the first two goals of the night and the Lightning never looked back as they defeated the Islanders 6-1.

Sometimes a game gets away from you. That probably puts things pretty mildly for the New York Islanders after they were dominated by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Isles probably aren’t happy about how the penalties shook out after Calvin de Haan’s big hit on Jonathan Drouin and fight with Ryan Callahan, but either way, the Bolts finally gained an early lead and never looked back.

Nikita Kucherov scored the first two goals of the night, so he gets credited with the game-winner. He also generated two assists and Steven Stamkos was electric in his own right.

Thomas Greiss only made it through 13:34 of the game, allowing three goals on 11 shots. Jaroslav Halak didn’t enjoy the greatest night, either, giving up three on 25 attempts.

It’s unfair to lay it all at the feet of the Islanders goalies, really, as sloppy play and bad bounces were in high supply.

In a way, this odd little goal tells the story of the night, at least beyond that hit that injured Drouin and gave the Lightning those early power plays.

Remarkably, Tampa Bay responded to a 6-1 loss to the Rangers with this 6-1 win, closing out a bruising road trip on a good note. The Islanders saw the reverse: suffering a 6-1 loss after a 5-1 victory.

Not the best way to get people to focus on something other than the questionable ice ...