TAMPA, Florida – The Tampa Bay Lightning returned home to Amalie Arena on Wednesday night to face the New York Rangers after gaining a split in the first two games at Madison Square Garden. While they remained tight with New York in the game one loss, the victory in game two was achieved in dominating fashion.
The Lightning’s effort in game three wasn’t nearly as dominating, as firepower from both teams was on full display. Thanks to Ondrej Palat’s two goals and helper along with Nikita Kucherov’s overtime winner 3:33 into the extra frame, the Tampa Bay Lightning earned the 6-5 victory in a wild shootout, giving the home team a 2-1 series lead.
The game did not start out well for the Lightning, though. Just a minute into the opening period, the Lightning’s Cedric Paquette took a roughing penalty against New York’s Dan Girardi. While on the man-advantage and with teammate Chris Kreider screening Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop, Derek Brassard let go a blast from the left point which found daylight in the top left corner. It was Brassard’s sixth of the playoffs.
Tampa bounced back with pressure on the New York net, but goaltender Henrik Lundqvist denied all attempts in strengthening his team’s position. His finest save was on a wide open Alex Killorn who fired at the open net, only to have Lundqvist seal the opening along the ice with his left pad as the blast came his way.
The Rangers grew stronger with their goaltender’s fine play and just shy of the period’s mid-way point, struck again. The play developed out of the Rangers’ zone, but was helped when Tampa Bay’s Matt Carle got the bad end of a mid-ice collision with New York’s Derek Stepan. New York’s Ryan McDonagh fed Chris Kreider the puck along the near boards who then found Jesper Fast streaking across the Tampa Bay blue line uncontested. The speedy rookie skated in on Bishop, faking the forehand shot before turning to his backhand, lifting the puck up and over the goaltender’s right pad for the 2-0 lead.
This time, though, the Lightning answered. Captain Steven Stamkos broke up a play in the Lightning zone and streaked toward the New York rangers net with Alex Killorn on a two-on-one break. After a pass to his teammate on the left side, Stamkos went directly to the net, ready for a chance to score. Lundqvist got a stick on the puck, but it went right to Stamkos who buried it behind the New York goaltender to close the lead to 2-1.
The period closed with Tampa Bay holding the lead in shots 12-9.
While the game remained tight, the Lighting held firm on intense pressure from the New York attack. Ben Bishop stood tall and the Lightning seemed to gain strength in their play. That effort would lead to a spectacular second period, which led to an equalizing goal midway through the frame. With New York Derek Brassard off for hooking Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman, the Lightning man-advantage, Tyler Johnson found Ondrej Palat cutting toward the goal. The gifted sniper skated past Dan Girardi and lifted a quick shot by Lundqvist to knot the score at 2-2.
But the Lightning weren’t done. Just less than three minutes later and the teams skating four aside, the extra room helped the home team. With the Lightning cycling to the right of Lundqvist, Hedman left a puck for Palat along the end line who then fed Tyler Johnson across the crease. The NHL’s leading playoff goal scorer slammed home the pass for his twelfth goal of the postseason giving Tampa Bay the first lead of the game, 3-2.
Just four minutes later, Hedman fed Alex Killorn a pass and he carried it over the New York line. While in traffic, Killorn waited for Stamkos to screen Lundqvist and sent a wrister through traffic, beating the New York netminder high glove side to extend the lead to 4-2.
The Rangers answered just twenty-nine seconds later when Derek Stepan found Kevin Klein in front of the Tampa Bay net. He let a drive go on Bishop, but the Lightning stopper handled it well. It was the rebound that caused him trouble as Jesper Fast fired a shot high into the top of the net to close the score to 4-3.
The period ended with Tampa Bay leading the frame in shots 12-7 and for the game 24-16
New York, hungry for tying goal found success just minutes into the final period. With the Lightning’s Andrej Sustr off for tripping Fast, New York’s power play went back to work. New York defenseman Keith Yandle was at the right point, passing the puck to the left point for Kevin Hayes. He found Ryan McDonagh cross ice and the right of Bishop who went down to cover the low threat while the Rangers’ captain went high to tie the score 4-4.
The game remained deadlocked until less than six minutes remained. That’s when New York’s Chris Kreider hit Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov at the Rangers’ line. As the hit came, Kucherov was sending a pass which reached Nikita Nesterov on the far side. He found Ondrej Palat at the near circle and heading toward the front of the neat. Palat edged closer and sent a drive along the ice, stick side, to beat Lundqvist and give Tampa Bay the lead back, 5-4.
But the Rangers battled back before tying it. Desperate for the late goal, with under two minutes remaining, Keith Yandle laid into a lethal blast from the right point which Bishop failed to glove cleanly. The puck dropped in front of J.T. Miller who fanned on the effort before Dan Boyle connected to slip it past Bishop to tie the score 5-5.
Tampa Bay edged the Rangers in shots 14-10 for the period and for the game 38-26 at that point.
New York failed to convert that momentum into anything substantive in overtime, but Tampa Bay found a way to seize the opportunity. While coming out of their own zone, Nesterov carried the puck before sending it up ice to Kucherov. The gifted winger crossed the New York line before cutting to his left and sending a lethal wrist shot, eluding Lundqvist’s blocker and giving the Lightning the 6-5 overtime victory. It is a play the King would like to have another crack at saving.
It was the second game in a row that Lundqvist allowed six goals on 40 shots while Bishop stopped 22 of 28 shots in a game which each was less-than-sharp.
Offense was the order of the day and the Lightning continued their assault at the top of the leaderboard. Four of the top five leading scorers represent Tampa Bay with Tyler Johnson leading the pack with 12 goals and 18 points.
Game four is Friday, May 22nd at 8:00 PM ET in downtown Tampa while game five is back at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, May 24th at 8:00 PM ET.
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