Quick Lightning Strikes Hold, Islanders Fall 4-1

TAMPA, FL -- The New York Islanders allowed the Tampa Bay Lightning to strike twice in the first period, ultimately falling 4-1 on Saturday night at Amalie Arena.

Here's how it happened:

The Islanders got on the board first courtesy of Kyle Palmieri, whose shot -- the Islanders' first of the game -- from atop the right face-off dot deflected off Lightning defenseman Matt Dumba and in at 2:25 of the first:

Ryan Pulock and Mike Reilly earned the assists, with Reilly recording the 200th assist of his career. 

After Adam Pelech tripped Lightning captain Steven Stamkos at 12:32 of the first, the league's best power play went to work.

Although Semyon Varlamov made some stellar saves, he could not track a Darren Raddysh one-timer from the high slot, which went through three bodies before going into the net at 14:25 of the first:

For the 21st time this season, the Islanders allowed a second goal in under a six-minute span, with Anthony Cirelli beating Varlamov glove side from the high slot just 35 seconds later to give Tampa a 2-1 lead at 15:00 of the first:

The eye test and the advanced analytics showed a weak period for New York:

The second period was much better for New York, as they out-shot the Lightning 15-8. But despite the chances, Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stood tall. 

The Islanders hit two posts -- Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee -- while Anthony Cirelli rang the post for Tampa. 

Roy also changed his lineup:

Stamkos scored on a deflection just 21 seconds into the third period to give Tampa a 3-1 lead.

It appeared to be played with a high after a league review for a high stick, but the call on the ice stood:

Here's another angle of the goal:

The Islanders didn't generate much in the third period, and at 17:14, Cirelli scored on the empty-net goal to make it a 4-1 game. 

UP NEXT: The Islanders head to Philadelphia to battle the third-place Flyers on Monday night at 7 PM.