New York leads the series of the best of 7. Game 3 is Sunday in Tampa Bay.
“I think we did a great job limiting them, especially in the first two periods,” Rangers defender Adam Fox said. “We didn’t make too many mistakes. We could hear them. We did a good job playing from the middle out and feeling our transition, and when we needed these big stops in the end, we got them as usual, but I thought we did a good job throughout the match, limiting their chances. “
K’Andre Miller, Kaapo Kakko and Mika Zibanejad scored for the Rangers, the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division, who have won eight straight home games. Chris Kreider and Fox had two assists each.
“Obviously, [the Lightning] we’re a skilled team with a lot of experience in these playoffs, so I think it was just a matter of managing it and trying to keep the game simple and stick to the game plan, ”Miller said.
[RELATED: Complete Rangers vs. Lightning series coverage]
Nikita Kucherov and Nicholas Paul scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 stops for Lightning, the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division, who had won 17 straight games in the postseason after losing from start of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Tampa Bay last lost two consecutive postseason games in 2019, when they were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round.
“At some point, you’ll lose two in a row in the playoffs,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “The fact that we haven’t had it for so many years is remarkable, so we could take a second here and say, ‘[Heck] of a job, of boys, but for the most part, the streaks are over and sadly it’s over tonight. Did it leave us out of the playoffs? He didn’t. Do we have a hill to climb? No question. “
Video: TBL @ NYR, Gm2: Shesterkin stretches to stop Stamkos
Kucherov gave Lightning a 1-0 lead at 2:41 of the first period with a power-play goal on a wrist shot from outside the right circle.
Miller drew 1-1 at 5:59 with a shot from the slot on a rebound after his opening shot was blocked by Brandon Hagel.
Kakko gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 5:32 p.m.
“I just stayed in front of the net,” Kakko said. “We had a few chances before that and then ‘Foxy’ grabbed the record and made a good pass, so easy for me to put it on the net.”
Zibanejad extended the lead to 3-1 1:21 in the third period with a wrist shot from outside the left circle.
“It was a big goal, obviously,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “We knew they were going to put in a lot of effort … We fought. We found a way. We are playing against a very good team there and again, they pushed it and we made some key stops in the end to keep it 3. -2 . “
Video: TBL @ NYR, Gm2: Outside Billing, Zibanejad goes short
Tampa Bay could not generate much offense in the first half of the game, and again had trouble limiting possession and New York chances as it did in the first game, a 6-2 defeat.
“I don’t think we’ve performed the right way here, especially in the last two years in terms of record management and execution, and stuff like that,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. “We’ve talked about how much skill they have in their team. If you give them a chance, it’s a very good team and they can make you pay.”
Paul led Tampa Bay to 3-2 with 2:02 to go and Vasilevskiy pulled off an extra skater.
Lightning beat the Rangers 14-6 in the third period, including 3-0 in the last 59 seconds.
“We improved as the game progressed,” defender Victor Hedman said. “We had a lot of chances to tie the game at the end, so we’ll take it with us for the next game. We can’t hang up just because we’re going to the ice at home, but it will. It’s great to be in front of our fans. and try to get the next game. “
Shesterkin made several important stops in the last minute, including one on Hedman 22 seconds from the end.
“I can’t imagine [how many] sometimes people have said good things about Igor rescuing us at this time of year, “Miller said.[Shesterkin is] unreal. You see it in every game, the number of outstanding reel saves. Obviously, we trust him a lot and try to let him do his thing. We try to limit the possibilities he sees, block shots and do these little things, but Shesty’s Shesty will stop the record. “
Vasilevsky has allowed nine goals in 62 shots in both games of the series; allowed three goals in 154 shots in a four-game sweep of the Florida Panthers in the second round.
“I still hold 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 is four wins, so you just have to keep playing.”
NOTES: Zibanejad extended his home goal streak to six games. Only three players have a longer streak in a playoff year (Guy Lafleur, eight games in 1979; Paul Coffey, seven games in 1985; Reggie Leach, seven games in 1976). … Zibanejad has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in a seven-point streak. … Fox has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in nine home playoff games this season. The only Rangers players with more than one single in the postseason are Mark Messier and Brian Leetch, who had 16 points each in 13 home games in 1994, and Sergei Zubov, who scored 13 points in 13 games in 1994. … New York won a game for the first time in these playoffs without scoring a power-play goal; they had scored with a men’s lead in each of the previous nine wins (12 of 30, 40.0 percent). … Lightning striker Corey Perry played his 180th playoff game to tie Sidney Crosby in third place among active players behind Zdeno Chara (200) and Joe Thornton (187).