The New York Rangers lead 2-0 in the NHL Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The New York franchise won 3-2 at Madison Square Garden in Act II of the series.
Led from the 3rd minute of this meeting following a numerical superiority success from Nikita Kucherov, the Rangers turned the tide by scoring 3 times in a row. Mika Zibanejad scored 3-1 in the 42nd, on one of 6 shots on target by his team in the third third.
Double Stanley Cup holder, Tampa Bay came back to a length with 2’02” of the end of regulation time after releasing its goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy. But Rangers goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin (29 saves, including 13 in the last third) then closed the door.
The Lightning, who had not lost 2 games in a row in the playoffs since 2019, therefore find themselves with their backs to the wall before the next 2 games scheduled in Florida. The Rangers, whose last title dates back to 1994, have not reached the Stanley Cup final since 2014.
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