TAMPA, Florida – In a series which seemed to be filled with unpredictability from the start, game six was merely a continuation of what the series has become. On the strength of a five point night by one player and four-point nights by two other players, the New York Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-3, setting up game seven in the Eastern Conference Final.
Derick Brassard had a hat trick to go along with two assists while Rick Nash and J.T. Miller each had a goal and three assists. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 36 of 39 shots, many of which kept New York in the game until the offense broke through.
New York opened the scoring early at 3:36 into the game, when off the draw in the Tampa Bay zone, all five Rangers players were involved in the play. Dan Boyle took the puck and sent it on net where J.T. Miller corralled it before sending to Derick Brassard in front of Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop. Brassard took the puck to his backhand and slipped it between Bishop’s pads for his seventh goal of the playoffs to take the early lead.
Later in the period and with 4:30 to play, the Rangers struck again. Rick Nash held the puck in the Lightning zone and left it from Derick Brassard whose shot was blocked in front. He pulled out of traffic and found Keith Yandle at the left point. Yandle sent a drive on net that seemed to deflect off the Lightning’s J.T. Brown and past Bishop to give New York a 2-0 lead. It was Yandle’s second of the playoffs and gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Tampa Bay pounded the New York net, which was being guarded valiantly by Henrik Lundqvist. He made perhaps his best save of the night on a Steven Stamkos attempt in which he slid along the ice to his left, stopping the Lightning captain’s stuff attempt by sealing his pad to the crease. It was a magnificent save.
But Tampa Bay would not get out of their 16-shot period without something to show for it. With Chris Kreider off for cross-checking Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay had the man-advantage with three minutes to play. It took just twenty seconds for Lightning to strike.
Out of their own end and started from the stick of Bishop, Anton Stralman found Ryan Callahan at the New York blue line. He sent a stretch pass up ice which Callahan accepted and streaked in on Lundqvist. The former Ranger captain delivered a backhand in close and high on the block side narrowing the score to 2-1. It was Callahan’s first goal in 22 playoff games for the Lightning.
While the Lightning held the lead in shots 16-7, New York made the most of their shots with a 2-1 lead.
The second period involved a healthy exchange of test by both goaltenders, each of which withstood good chances and neither allowing a goal. Tampa Bay held the edge in shots 13-11 for the period and 29-18 for the game.
The final period started with a bang as New York had numerous chances to extend their lead, but Bishop remained strong. New York began to assert themselves and finally broke through with three minutes to play in a period New York would dominate.
On a 3-on-1 break, New York advanced toward the Tampa Bay net. With a give-and-go which had Bishop down and out, he somehow lunged back along the ice, robbing Derick Brassard of the chance. Brassard gave chase to the rebound behind the net, centering it to J.T. Miller. He got a shot off, hitting Bishop in the back before it crossed the goal line. It gave the Rangers the 3-1 lead.
Then during a breakdown in the Lightning zone with fourteen minutes to play, the Rangers added to that lead. Amidst a scrum in front of the Tampa Bay bench, the Rangers dug the puck out of the pack and advanced the play toward the net. Dominic Moore found Tanner Glass whose drive was stopped by Bishop. The rebound came to James Sheppard whose initial shot was saved before the rebound bounced off of him into the net to give the Rangers a 4-1 lead. Despite some initial discussion on the
It got even worse as more Tampa Bay breakdowns in the neutral zone caused the game to get out of hand. Just seventy-four second after the fourth goal, Derick Brassard netted his second of the game as he buried a deflected shot by J.T. Miller to make it 5-1.
New York scored on three of its’ last five shots and that spelled the end for Bishop. He exited the game having stopped 21 of 26 shots and gave way to back-up goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. It was also the third time in the series Bishop had allowed five goals.
Just 36 seconds after changing goaltenders, Tyler Johnson won the draw in the New York zone and sent the puck back to Nikita Kucherov. He fired a snap shot over the glove of Lundqvist to close the lead to 5-2.
That seemed to rankle the Rangers who while with Tampa Bay’s Nikita Nesterov off for slashing Derick Brassard, added to their lead. Rick Nash fired a wrist shot which beat Vasilevskiy to extend the New York lead to 6-2
Still, the Lightning answered when Tyler Johnson sent a saucer pass cross ice and onto the stick of Nikita Kucherov. He sent a puck blocker side which Lundqvist had no chance of saving narrowing the lead to 6-3.
With less than six minutes to play, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper pulled his goaltender for a sixth attacker. It was likely the earliest the move was ever attempted in a game. While it seemed to provide the Lightning a bit of a spark, it was too little, too late.
Derick Brassard fired a shot into the empty net with two minutes to play and that was it for the Lightning.
Despite being outshot in the game 39-34, the Rangers controlled the final period with shots on net 16-10, but until a sixth attacker was added late in the game, led 15-4 at one point.
Game seven is set for Friday at Madison Square Garden at 8:00 PM ET with the winner advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.
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