Schedule and 2004 Results
Regular Season Records: Tampa Bay 46-22-8-6=106pts, N.Y. Islanders 38-29-11-4=91pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 8 Apr: Islanders lose at Tampa, 3-goals-nil
Game 2 on Saturday, 10 Apr: Islanders win at Tampa, 3-goals-nil
Game 3 on Monday, 12 Apr: Tampa wins at Islanders, 3-goals-nil
Game 4 on Wednesday, 14 Apr: Tampa wins at Islanders, 3-goals-nil
Game 5 on Friday, 16 Apr: Islanders lose at Tampa, 3-goals-2 (OT)

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and defeated the New York Islanders 3-goals-2, with the winning tally 4:07 into the first overtime period. Tampa Bay thus wins series 906, 4-games-1. The win order for Tampa Bay in series 906 was WLWWW. Series 906 thus becomes the third NHL Preliminary-round best-of-7 playoff series, the 27th NHL best-of-7 playoff series (all rounds), and the 59th MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series (all rounds) to follow this win order. With the series 906 victory, Tampa Bay improves its best-of-7 playoff series record to 2-2, and its Preliminary-round series record to 2-1. With the series 906 loss, the New York Islanders' best-of-7 playoff series record falls to 21-15 overall and 2-6 in the Preliminary round. Games 3 and 4 of series 906 were on Long Island. Having been shut out in both of those games, the Islanders thus tie a record for fewest goals on home ice in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series (zero), set in the 1943 NHL Stanley Cup Finals by the Boston Bruins and matched six times (including series 906) since.

After Game 4: The final score of each of the first four games of best-of-7 series 906 has been 3-goals-nil. In Game 4, it was the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning that pitched its second consecutive shutout against the Islanders in New York, thus staking the Lightning to a 3-games-1 series lead. Only two previous best-of-7 MLB, NBA, or NHL series featured the same final score for each of the first four series games: Series 217 (a 1970 NHL Quarterfinals series in which the Chicago Blackhawks swept the Detroit Red Wings 4-games-nil, with each game ending 4-goals-2), and series 634 (a 1993 NHL Quarterfinals series in which the Montreal Canadiens swept the Buffalo Sabres 4-games-nil, with each game ending 4-goals-3). The Tampa Bay Lightning are leading a best-of-7 series 3-games-1 for the first time. When trailing 3-games-1 in a best-of-7 series, the New York Islanders have an overall series record of 2-9 and a Preliminary-round series record of 1-2 (the win occurred in series 479, a 1987 Preliminary-round victory over the Washington Capitals).

After Game 3: With best-of-7 series 906 having shifted to Long Island, the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning hurled a shutout at their host New York Islanders, winning Game 3 by a 3-goals-nil tally to take a 2-games-1 series lead. The first three best-of-7 series 906 games thus end in identical 3-goals-nil scores, making series 906 just the seventh best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series in which the final scores of the first three games were identical (and the first to involve a shutout score). When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Tampa Bay Lightning hold an overall series record of 0-1, a Preliminary-round series mark likewise of 0-1, and an overall Game 4 record of 0-1. When trailing 2-games-1, the New York Islanders have an overall series record of 4-8, a Preliminary-round series record of 1-4 (including an active four-series losing streak), and an overall Game 4 record of 6-6.

After Game 2: A second consecutive series 906 game ended in a 3-goals-nil score, but in Game 2, it was the visiting New York Islanders who emerged victorious, thereby knotting series 906 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all after the first two games of a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the New York Islanders have a 7-5 overall series record and a 2-2 Preliminary-round series record, while the Tampa Bay Lightning have an 0-1 overall and Preliminary-round series record. In best-of-7 series 873 (a 2003 NHL Preliminary-round match against the Ottawa Senators), the New York Islanders won Game 1 by a 3-goals-nil score and lost Game 2 by a 3-goals-nil score (with both games in Ottawa); those 2003 Islanders proceeded to lose Games 3-5 and the series to Ottawa.

After Game 1: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and defeated the New York Islanders 3-goals-nil to take a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 playoff series 906. The Tampa Bay Lightning have thus won a Game 1 for the first time (in four tries) in franchise history. When losing Game 1 of a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the New York Islanders have a 7-11 series record (and are on a three-series losing streak), and have a 2-3 Preliminary-round series record (and are on a two-series Preliminary-round losing streak). From 1939 through 2003, when an NHL team wins Game 1 of a best-of-7 playoff series 3-goals-nil, its series record is 10-8.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2003-04 regular season, Tampa Bay finished 15 points ahead of New York. From 1939 through 2003, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 15 regular-season points, they have gone on to post an 18-5 (.783) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 906 is the 36th best-of-7 playoff series for New York and the 4th for Tampa Bay. In best-of-7 playoff series, New York has a 21-14 series record, a 2-5 Prelim-round series record, and a 17-18 Game 1 record, while Tampa Bay has a 1-2 overall series record, a 1-1 Prelim-round record, and a 0-3 Game 1 record. Series 906 is the first best-of-7 meeting between New York and Tampa Bay.