Tampa Bay’s defense also showed some more hustle to the puck than they have in previous games.
The Lightning had two power play chances in the first period. Tampa Bay’s first power play only lasted 55 seconds because Brett Connolly was then called off for holding, although he was hooked by an Islanders player. The Lightning did have some luck on their second power play chance, as Ryan Malone’s wrist shot saw its way past Montoya, giving the Lightning a 1-0 lead at 16:32 of the first period.
In the final minutes of the first period, Vincent Lecavalier tried to put the Lightning up by two goals, but his one-timer was denied by Montoya, who has had to make some big saves in the early goings of this game.
The Lightning are outshooting the Islanders 14-6 after one period played.