NHL; Bolts Knot Series With Islanders

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – The Tampa Bay Lightning had been waiting all postseason to get a goal from their defensemen. They got a pair on Tuesday to even their Stanley Cup semifinal series with the New York Islanders at a game apiece.  Blueliners Jan Rutta and Victor Hedman scored seven minutes apart in the third period to give the Bolts a 4-1 lead in a 4-2 win over the Isles. Rutta scored for the first time in December 2019, which proved to be the game-winner.  Nikita Kucherov set up goals by Hedman, Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat, one game after Tampa Bay waited until the final minute to beat Semyon Varlamov.  Brock Nelson and Mat Barzal had the Islanders goals against Andrei Vasilevskiy, who stopped 24 shots.  Game 3 is Thursday at Nassau Coliseum.