TAMPA, Fla. — The Islanders got a tip that they had won long before the referees made it official.
Matt Moulson scored a delayed, video-reviewed goal in overtime to give the Isles a 3-2 victory over the Lightning last night.
“Our video coordinator saw it while they were reviewing it and told us on the bench that he thought 100 percent it was in,” coach Scott Gordon said.
Moulson was credited with an in-close goal at 1:56. Officials reviewing the play ruled that the puck went off the glove of goalie Dan Ellis and completely over the goal line before Ellis swiped the puck back into play.
“It’s really tough to see when it’s behind you,” Ellis said.
The review, which occurred at the next stoppage of play at 3:28 of overtime, took about 10 minutes.
“We were coming up with faceoff plays,” Moulson said. “I think we were trying to think it wasn’t a goal … maybe reverse psychology there.”
Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier said the lengthy review is just part of the game.
“It’s too bad it took that long,” Lecavalier said. “I’m sure they looked at it from every possible angle.”
The original call on the ice was no goal.
“You can’t get too excited, you’ve got to wait for the official call,” Isles defenseman Mark Eaton said. “But when it comes, obviously, we were happy.”
Michael Grabner and P.A. Parenteau also scored for the Islanders.
The Lightning got goals from Sean Bergenheim and Martin St. Louis.
The Isles had a carryover power play into overtime — but failed to capitalize — after Lightning defenseman Pavel Kubina was called for tripping Blake Comeau with 7.4 seconds left in regulation.
Grabner put the Islanders ahead 1-0 at 2:15 of the first. Bergenheim, a former Islanders forward, tied it with a breakaway goal with 1:55 left in the period.
Tampa Bay went up 2-1 when St. Louis scored from the low right circle 4:44 into the second. Parenteau pulled the Isles even at 2 during a 5-on-3 power play at the 10-minute mark of the second.
The Lightning failed to score later in the second during a two-minute, two-man advantage. Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro stopped shots from the left and right circles by Steven Stamkos and Lecavalier.
DiPietro also made a save late in the second on Bergenheim’s short-handed breakaway.