There's Something Special Brewing

Isles 1 : Lightning 0

Tampa Bay was tired. The Islanders, perhaps even more so. It came down to a practical stalemate, with an anxious goaltender, a skittish defense, and a seemingly disinterested superstar (Vincent Lecavalier) taking on one of the hottest teams in the East, with their own problems on defense, at Nassau Coliseum.

When all was said and done, the Isles came out on top.

Miroslav Satan scored the lone goal, which an excellent Rick DiPietro (32 saves) made stand up, giving the Isles their sixth straight win. Satan's goal came on an excellent play by Sean Bergenheim, who pulled up just near the blueline to feed the puck to him through the middle, where Satan shot it past goaltender Kari Ramo's pad.

The closest the Lightning got to tying up the game was on a shot by Lecavalier, which beat DiPietro, but, as the theme had been for the last few games, the post kept the score 1-0. Tampa would try to pull even, but broke down on a string of penalties, broken sticks, and increased feelings of frustration from Lecavalier.

The win brings the Isles closer to the playoff hunt, just one point outside of eighth place. It also brings back Chris Simon, who (unfittingly) was booed by the fans for his first two shifts on the ice. Jeff Tambellini, in turn, was sent back to Bridgeport.