The first 30 minutes of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final on Sunday afternoon were mostly uneventful.
The Tampa Bay Lightning controlled zone time, New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov stood tall, and the two teams had skated to a 0-0 tie.
It was at that point that chaos briefly unfolded as the two teams combined for three goals in a 27-second span.
You can see all three goals in the video above.
[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
The scoring outburst began with Islanders forward Brock Nelson scoring his ninth goal of the playoffs (and second in as many games) to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
It was a lead they would hold on to for only seconds. Only 15 seconds to be exact.
Just after Nelson’s goal, Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde connected on a pass with Blake Coleman behind the Islanders’ defense, setting the stage for Coleman to beat Varlamov with a slick move in tight to tie the game. That line has been sensational for the Lightning all postseason, and that was a huge goal to help get momentum back on their side after Nelson’s goal.
Just 12 seconds after that goal, Ondrej Palat scored to give the Lightning a lead on a goal that was set up by Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point.
This stretch is tied for the third fasted three-goal stretch in Stanley Cup Playoff history. The Red Wings and Coyotes also combined for three goals in 27 seconds during a 1998 playoff game. The NHL record is three goals in 21 seconds, set by the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers during the 1985 playoffs.
No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 6 New York Islanders (TB leads 2-1)
Series preview
Game 1: Lightning 8, Islanders 2. (recap)
Game 2: Lightning 2, Islanders 1 (recap)
Game 3: Islanders 5, Lightning 3 (recap)
Game 4: Lightning 4, Islanders 1 (recap)
Game 5: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
*Game 6: Thursday, Sept. 17, 8 p.m. ET – NBCSN
*Game 7: Saturday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m. ET – NBC
*if necessary
MORE STANLEY CUP COVERAGE:
• Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final schedule
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.