New York leads the best series of 7. Match 3 is in Tampa Bay on Sunday.
“I think we did a great job limiting them, especially in the first two periods,” said Rangers defender Adam Fox. “We did not make too many mistakes. We managed to feel them. We did a good job playing from the middle and we felt our transition and when we needed those big saves at the end, we got them as usual, but I thought throughout the game that we did a good job to limit their chances. “
K’Andre Miller, Kaapo Kakko and Mika Zibanedjad scored for Rangers, the No. 2 runner-up in the Metropolitan Division, who won eight consecutive home games. Chris Crider and Fox had two assists each.
“Obviously, [the Lightning] “We’re an experienced team with a lot of experience in these playoffs, so I think it was just about managing that and trying to keep the game easy and stick to the game plan,” Miller said.
[RELATED: Complete Rangers vs. Lightning series coverage]
Nikita Kucherov and Nicholas Paul scored, and Andrei Vassilevsky made 25 saves for Lightning, ranked No. 3 in the Atlantic Division, who won 17 consecutive games in the postseason after losing since the start of the Stanley Cup 2020 playoffs.
Tampa Bay last lost two consecutive games since the 2019 season, when they were swept away by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round.
“At one point you will lose two in a row in the playoffs,” said Lightning coach John Cooper. “The fact that we haven’t done it in years is remarkable, so we could take a second here and say, ‘[Heck] at work, boys, but for the most part the orders are really over and unfortunately ended tonight. Did you get us out of the playoffs? Did not happen. Do we have a hill to climb? No question. “
Video: TBL @ NYR, Gm2: Shesterkin stretches to stop Stamkos
Kucherov gave the Lightning the lead with 1: 0 at 2:41 from the first period with a goal with a powerful game when hitting the wrist outside the right circle.
Miller tied 1-1 at 5:59 with a rebound slot kick after his initial shot was blocked by Brandon Hagel.
Kako gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 17:32 with a top of the net at Fox’s pass.
“I just stayed in front of the net,” Kakko said. “We had a few chances before that, and then Foxy got the puck and made a good pass, it’s so easy for me to just put it in the net.”
Zibanedjad increased the lead to 3-1 1:21 in the third period with a wrist strike outside the left circle.
“Obviously it was a big goal,” said Rangers coach Gerard Galant. “We knew they would insist. Хме We fought. We found a way. We play against a really good team there and again, they pressed it and we made some key saves in the end to keep it 3 -2. “
Video: TBL @ NYR, Gm2: Turning off, Zibanejad goes to the short side
Tampa Bay failed to create many attacks in the first half of the game and again had problems with limiting possession and chances of New York, as in Game 1, a 6-2 loss.
“I just don’t think we’ve done the right way that brought us here, especially in the last few years in terms of driving and doing puck and stuff,” said Lightning captain Stephen Stamkos. “We talked about the amount of skills they have in their team. If you give them a chance, they are a very qualified team and they can make you pay.
Paul led Tampa Bay within 3-2 with a remaining 2:02 and Vassilevski pulled for an extra skater.
Lightning beat Rangers 14-6 in the third period, including 3-0 in the last 59 seconds.
“We have improved as the game progresses,” said defender Victor Hedman. “We had a lot of opportunities to level the game there at the end, so we will take that with us in the next game. We can’t hang our hats just because we’re going to the home ice, but that’s going to happen. Be great to be in front of our fans and try to win the next game. “
Shesterkin made several big saves in the last minute, including one for Hedman with 22 seconds left.
“I can not imagine [how many] “People have said good things about Igor saving us at this time of year,” Miller said.[Shesterkin is] unreal. You see it in every game, the number of recordings on the highlight drum. We obviously trust him a lot and we are trying to let him do his thing. We try to limit the chances he sees, block shots and do these little things, but Sixth to Sixth, he will stop the puck. “
Vassilevski conceded nine goals in 62 shots in both games in the series; he conceded three goals in 154 shots in four games for the Florida Panthers in the second round.
“I still stand by my opinion,” Shesterkin said. “Everything is as I said before: Andrei is still the best goalkeeper in the world. You can’t forget that the series has four wins, so you just have to keep playing.”
NOTES: Zibanedjad extended his streak of home goals to six games. Only three players have a longer series in a playoff year (Guy Lafleur, eight games in 1979; Paul Coffey, seven games in 1985; Reggie Leach, seven games in 1976). … Zibanedjad has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in a series of seven points. … Fox has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in nine home playoff games this season. The only Rangers with more than one postseason are Mark Messier and Brian Leach, who have 16 points in 13 home games in 1994, and Sergei Zubov, who has 13 points in 13 games in 1994.… New York won the game for the first time in 1994 in these playoffs without scoring a goal; they had scored with a male advantage in each of their previous nine victories (12 vs. 30, 40.0 percent). … Lightning striker Corey Perry played his 180th playoff game to put Sidney Crosby in third place among active players after Zdeno Chara (200) and Joe Thornton (187).
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