The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New York Rangers 4-1 on Tuesday night. With the series now tied at two, the pressure is on the Rangers inside MSG.
Game Recap
In front of their home crowd, the Lightning started quickly. Off a Zach Bogosian drive to the net, Pat Maroon picked up the trash for a goal. Tampa Bay gained a 1-0 lead 2:38 into the game. Not long after Maroon’s goal, the Bolts went on the power play. The Rangers killed the penalty, however, the goal post was Shesterkin’s buddy as Corey Perry had hit the post while on the power play. From there on, the period would go back and forward but remain 1-0.
The first event on the scoresheet in the second period was a fight. Brandon Hagel took on former Panther, Frank Vatrano. A close, spirited fight between the two, but the win was likely Vatrano’s. Not the only event on the scoresheet, Tampa Bay also added goal number two. Nikita Kucherov put the puck between the wickets to score his seventh goal of the postseason. Once again, the period continued back and forward, but now the Lightning have a two goal lead.
The third period began with Chris Kreider tripping Steven Stamkos. This allowed the Lightning another opportunity to extend their lead. Although they could not score on the power play, Tampa Bay scored number three around four minutes later. Steven Stamkos scored another dirty goal off the rebound. As the final period progressed, New York got a shot on the power play. Artemi Panarin ruined his fellow Russian’s perfect game to narrow the Bolts lead to two. This would not be enough though, and with nine seconds left, Ondrej Palat scored number four on an empty net. In the end, Tampa Bay sat on top 4-1.
FL Teams Star of the Game
After a shaky start to the series, Vasilevskiy proved he’s back to his all-star caliber self. The Big Cat stopped 34 of 35 shots for a .971 save percentage, helping lift his team to the win.
Up Next
Tampa Bay will look to gain the 3-2 advantage in New York City on Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST.