New York Rangers Streak Ends At Nine, Thanks To Lightning
The New York Rangers must have had a bitter taste in their mouths from last season, strolling down memory lane in Amalie Arena down in Florida, as they paid a visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
A rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals from a year ago between the two teams, the Rangers brought their 10-game winning streak down south in a litmus test of sorts in a Conference showdown.
95. Final. 2. 23. 1
For most of the first period, the Rangers looked calm and in control of themselves. There wasn’t panic in their puck play, as they played it cool with the fast-moving Lightning, who were missing several players from their normal starting lineup.
New York Rangers
However, that calmness with the puck came with a disadvantage. The Rangers did not register a shot on goal versus the Lightning’s Ben Bishop, who was a perfect 8-0 in his career against New York, till the 13:20 mark.
Despite that, the team were able to disrupt Tampa Bay with their puck play by getting sticks in the passing and shooting lanes.
This felt like a different version of the Rangers this year, as compared to last year. Different faces in the lineup, including Mats Zuccarello, who was facing the Lightning for the first since being absent in the ECF due to his head injury earlier in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Rangers would go down a goal thanks to a turnover by Keith Yandle, trying to pass up ice. Valtteri Filppula intercepted the puck and passed to Alex Killorn. The Rangers menace in last season’s playoffs, beat Henrik Lundqvist uncharacteristically from between the faceoff circles.
However, Lundqvist would keep the Rangers in the game, making key stops in the second period. He was up to his old tricks of putting the offense in disbelief, by putting up a brick wall to his opponents. He would make seven in the second 20 minutes of play, including this stifling save on Braydon Coburn to rob the Lightning going up two goals.
Overall the team upped their level of play, controlling most of the period’s pace of play, putting shots on goal when they were available, and getting aggressive on the forecheck.
However, the Lightning would counter with Bishop and former Ranger Anton Stralman, who was doing his own goalie saves routine in net, robbing Zuccarello of a goal, while Bishop was down. The could have easily gone the Rangers way in the goal column, if it were not for his efforts.
The Rangers needed an equalizer in the third period, and they got it from the veteran Dominic Moore. Coming from a play behind the Lightning net, Jesper Fast put some forecheck pressure on Jason Garrison who never was able to control the puck. He gave it up to Moore, who would eventually score the tying goal.
It seemed the Blueshirts had the momentum on their side with a power play opportunity inside of two minutes left in regulation. Unfortunately, the hockey gods weren’t smiling down on New York.
After a bad exchange between Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh near the blue line, the Lightning took advantage of the turnover and rushed up ice. Filppula, who had an earlier assist on Killorn’s first period goal, added a goal to make it a two-point night, burying a one-timer past Lundqvist off a feed from Lightning pest J.T. Brown, breaking the hearts of the boys on the ice and the fans watching the Rangers.
It felt like the 2015 ECF all over again.
With the loss, the win streak comes to a halt at nine games. But, the Rangers have time to a start a new streak when they to Sunrise, FL to meet Panthers on Saturday.