Lightning set franchise record with 51st win in wild victory over Islanders

The Tampa Bay Lightning established a new franchise record for wins in a season when they recorded their 51st victory Thursday against the New York Islanders, according to NHL Public Relations.

The win surpassed the team's previous record of 50, set in 2014-15.

Though the Islanders are well out of the playoff picture, the victory was no smooth sailing.

The Bolts held leads of 4-1 and 7-3 in the contest, but after a late surge from the Islanders, they were forced to hang on to a 7-6 win.

In the process, Jon Cooper surpassed John Tortorella for the most head coaching wins in team history, per Bryan Burns of the team's website.

The Lightning now sit at 106 points - six ahead of the Boston Bruins for first place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.