TAMPA, Fla. — The playoff preview for what could be the final regular-season game between the Rangers and Lightning was a blast.
And if the season ended Thursday night, there would likely be seven more games scheduled.
The Rangers, who were denied a spot in the Stanley Cup Final by the Lightning just two seasons ago in a 6-3 loss on an empty-net goal at Amalie Arena, won’t just have their hands full if they make it. This made me realize that. Tampa Bay will play in the first round and will need to give it their all to advance.
Both teams may not have been at their best, but both teams played to the best of their ability with their own tenacity.
It was a best-on-best goal between the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin and the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy.
His star power was on full display. There was obvious hostility. We have reached the third period.
“We didn’t have any power,” Jimmy Vesey said of the final frame. “We weren’t happy with the last 10 minutes of the second game and needed a push to start the third game. We got the goal, but I think we didn’t have enough duration after that.
“It was kind of a good lesson for us moving forward here. Momentum swings a lot in playoff games, so you have to learn how to deal with that.”
Jack Roslovic scored his first goal as a Ranger, breaking a 2-2 tie less than two minutes into the final frame, and the Lightning scored four unanswered points to earn their first regular-season win over the Rangers. I got it.
Tampa Bay’s stars took over the game, and the Blueshirts fought back with only their own mistakes.
Braden Point, who tied the game at 3-all, led the way for the Lightning with a hat trick and an impressive six-point performance, while Nikita Kucherov had a five-point night.
Captain Steven Stamkos also scored the game-winning goal with the only power-play goal of the tournament, helping Tampa Bay give the Islanders a four-point cushion for the East’s first wild-card spot.
“The other team had some really dangerous players and they hurt us,” head coach Peter Laviolette said.
Despite building a 2-0 lead after a strong opening, the Rangers took a big step back in the second, losing Mika Zibanejad with just over 8 1/2 minutes remaining before the second intermission.
Zibanejad received a puck in the face during a corner sequence, and the Swedish center rushed to the locker room holding his mouth. Although he missed the remainder of the second period, Zibanejad returned to start the final frame wearing a full face shield.
Tampa Bay tilted the ice in their favor, creating significant zone time and competing in puck battles that the Rangers nearly won in the first 20 minutes. Zibanejad’s short loss clearly disrupted the flow of the game for the Rangers.
It only accelerated from there, with a Johnny Brodzinski turnover igniting the Lightning’s push.
Losing an early 2-0 lead to the Lightning had implications for the 2022 playoffs.
The Rangers held a two-game lead in the Eastern Conference finals, then gave up a 2-0 lead in Game 3, resulting in their fourth straight loss.
This matchup could be the final hurdle for the Rangers, who still have to learn how to beat Tampa Bay two years from now.
“Honestly, I thought they gave us a pretty hard time throughout the 30 minutes,” Vesey said. “We started turning over some pucks and feeding them in transition and their high-end players made some plays. I thought the turnover at the end of the second started to change the momentum. .”
