Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair scored as the New York Islanders handed the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 loss on Tuesday night, snapping Tampa Bay’s seven-game winning streak and ending the Islanders’ own three-game skid. Ilya Sorokin was sharp throughout, making 28 saves for his eighth win of the season.
“We were kind of due for one of these games where maybe wasn’t our best of the last little bit, but we come out with two points and kind of end this little drought that we’ve been on,” Anders Lee said. “Now we can kind of take a breath of fresh air.
Horvat opened the scoring just 55 seconds into the second period, collecting his own rebound and finishing for his team-leading 16th goal. The Isles center continues to build a compelling case for a spot with Team Canada at the 2026 Olympics. “You just get that feeling, where you feel like you can score every game,” Horvat said. “[I’d have been] a lot more worried if I wasn’t getting my chances and finally, last couple games they’ve been going in.”
Duclair extended the lead at 5:30 of the third period, finishing a setup from 20-year-old rookie Callum Ritchie — the key return in last season’s Brock Nelson trade. Tampa Bay broke through late when Dominic James beat Sorokin from a sharp angle with 4:34 remaining, but the Islanders held firm the rest of the way. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves for the Lightning.
“He was outstanding,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said of Sorokin. “He made obviously a lot of great saves, but I love the commitment that our guys made to block shots.” The isles blocked 19 shots for the game, including several in the final minutes to preserve the win. They finish their seven-game homestand on Thursday night against the Avalanche.