New York Rangers: Keeping perspective amidst the panic

While Game Three provided some reasons to be concerned, now is not the time to push the panic button where the New York Rangers are concerned.

Heading to Tampa with a 2-0 series lead after two dominant performances on home ice, there were some that perhaps felt the Rangers would use the momentum on their side to push the Lightning to the brink of elimination.

Playoff hockey doesn’t work like that, though, and instead Tampa Bay truly made this a series thanks to Ondrej Palat’s go-ahead goal with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation.

There now seems to be some panic amongst the Rangers fanbase, with some convinced that this team will now collapse like a cheap pack of cards and the Stanley Cup dream will be snatched away by the Lightning once more.

Just like 2015 all over again.

However, as is always the case during times of trouble, a sense of calm and perspective is needed because the Rangers could have very easily emerged from Game Three with a win. One loss shouldn’t induce a state of panic.

There were a multitude of reasons why the Rangers lost this game. Firstly, they lost the special teams battle despite going 2-for-5 on the power play. They allowed two costly power play goals themselves and the amount of time spent in the box prevented the Blueshirts from rolling four lines.

Certain players struggled at key points in the game, leading to careless turnovers, and the Rangers as a team looked devoid of any answers in a particularly tough third period.

But, and most importantly, the Lightning came out swinging and finally played like a team that won back-to-back Stanley Cups over the span of the past two years. They were relentless from the first drop of the puck to the last.

You don’t boast the experience and the championship pedigree that Tampa Bay has and not put up a fight, and they were able to absorb body blow after body blow before delivering the fatal knockout blow themselves in the form of a late haymaker.

It also helped that, for the first time this series, elite goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy delivered the kind of performance we’re used to seeing from him, particularly in the postseason. He absolutely stood on his head and finished with 28 saves, only allowing two goals on the power play.

Winning is ingrained in the very DNA of this Tampa Bay Lightning team, and they showed why they are a modern-day dynasty with their gusty win on Sunday. Even finding themselves in a 2-0 hole, they took full advantage of the opportunities given to them in the form of Jacob Trouba making consistent trips to the penalty box.

Steven Stamkos scored a trademark Stamkos snipe to make it a tied game, after Nikita Kucherov had beaten Igor Shesterkin with a one-timer from below the dot after some slick passing.

Palat then delivered the crushing blow in the final minute of regulation and now Tampa has a chance to even up the series tonight.

A gutsy fightback from a team that has done nothing but win for a considerable chunk of time was always going to come, and it is all about how the Rangers now respond. Game Three is gone and belongs in the history books.

Of course, a team that believes again and a home crowd that has been re-energized makes this Lightning team a dangerous beast heading into Game Four, and the Rangers will need to correct certain mistakes from Game Three if they want to return to New York with a series lead still intact.

However, the Blueshirts have faced adversity plenty of times before already this postseason and the events of Game Three shouldn’t all of a sudden cast doubts on a team that have proved time and time again in these playoffs that they can swing with the punches.

So let’s hold off on pressing that panic button for at least a few more days.