How quickly fortune can change in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After impressing the entire hockey world with a team that, as recently as yesterday morning widely received plaudits for it’s brilliance in design and coaching and ‘toughness’, the much-hyped New York Islanders blew up spectacularly last night, losing 8-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning who now have a 3-2 series lead.

The Islanders fumbled it so badly they even let Luke Schenn score a goal against them, and that was on Ilya Sorokin because Semyon Varlamov was pulled in the first period after letting in three goals.

Perhaps assembling a team that relies on Leo Komarov as a top-six winger to face the Lightning isn’t actually a sign of GM brilliance, but of arrogance?

Eventually, frustration set in and the and the Islanders lost their tempers.

That mess all further devolved into this bigger mess at the end of the game.

The Habs are back down in Vegas tonight to play the Knights at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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From The Branches