Los Angeles,
Brayden Point scored twice and delivered three assists as the Tampa Bay Lightning trounced the New York Islanders 8-2 in game one of the NHL Eastern Conference final on Monday.
Nikita Kucherov added one goal and four assists for the Lightning, who looked rested, not rusty, after nearly a week off since their series win over the Boston Bruins.
Yanni Gourde scored twice, Victor Hedman had a goal and two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves for second-seeded Tampa Bay.
“We’re playing so well,” Point said. “We’re playing with structure, we’re playing responsible with the puck, we’re making the right plays. I think our team has been so good.”
New York goaltender Thomas Greiss allowed three goals on nine shots before he was pulled at 10:46 of the first period.
He was replaced by Semyon Varlamov, who made 20 saves for the sixth-seeded Islanders, who wrapped up a 4-3 series win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, then travelled from Toronto to the NHL’s second playoff hub in Edmonton, Alberta.—AFP
