Tampa Bay Lightning

Seven years ago, the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning faced off in the 2015 Eastern Conference Final, with the Bolts winning in seven games.

This allows us to look not only at high-level results (like goals, shots, and expected goals) but also the stylistic process that creates them (like passes, shot types and transition play) to get a better sense of how the teams match up. The Rangers tried to keep competing but couldn't get past the second round in the coming years. My playoff previews are stats-based, going off of both macro- and micro-level statistics gathered by TopDownHockey and AllThreeZones respectively.

It's time for the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning to kick things off. Here's the best bets and the players you need to know to win your fantasy ...

The Rangers are definitely shorthanded in this regard because Perry’s one of the best at it and he plays for the other team, and Ryan Reaves doesn’t play as much as either Brandon Hagel or Nick Paul, two other forwards the Lightning have who don’t mind crashing the crease. The Canes were only good for small stretches and the goaltending performances they received from Antti Raanta and Pyotr Kotchetkov were nowhere near what Shesterkin was able to provide for the Rangers. Their depth scoring suddenly dried up with Sebastian Aho forced to do most of the heavy lifting, and most importantly for the Rangers, managed to beat the Canes on their home ice, overcoming the disadvantages in not having last change. Last season, Killorn ranked second on the team with eight goals, and in the season prior pitched in with another five goals. For the Lightning, who have been there and done that (twice), and feature a slightly older roster, getting the extra rest should offset any rust that they may have. Standing in their way are the Oilers and Rangers, respectively, who have defied the odds and erased major question marks regarding their depth and experience. Below are the updated BetMGM odds for the Stanley Cup champion and an updated list of playoff pool picks for leagues that allow re-drafts or trades.

There's a reason the past two Conn Smythe winners have been a goaltender (Andrei Vasilevskiy) and a defenseman (Victor Hedman).

Last year, they won six games with two goals or fewer. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Even the Rangers are scoring more. We’re not up and down, all over the place. The Lightning have already won three games while scoring two goals or less in this postseason. We’re not a track meet team.

After going on the road and defeating the Metropolitan Division champion Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 two nights ago, the Rangers are back in the Eastern ...

As the only player still with the team from their 2015 playoff run, this won’t be Kreider’s first playoff dust up with Tampa. Look for him to play a key role in this series. This meeting is one that has seen New York’s rebuild come full circle after the Lightning all but ended their previous window of championship contention in that 2015 series. After going on the road and defeating the Metropolitan Division champion Carolina Hurricanes in Game 7 two nights ago, the Rangers are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2015.

Filip Chytil scored twice as the New York Rangers defeated the rusty Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.

The respect and tentativeness they showed in the face of the Hurricanes' aggressive forecheck has given way to a speed-and-skill game that befits their top players. Bednar said he wasn't going to provide details when asked if it was related to the first-round incident in which Kuemper caught a stick near his eye. Chytil was waiting in the slot and buried a one-timer to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead with 9:51 remaining in the period. They seemed to find them temporarily, pinning the Rangers in their own zone for stretches in the first period. MSG just erupted just 1:11 into Game 1, as Mika Zibanejad beat Nikita Kucherov to a loose puck, drew the defense and found Chris Kreider wide open in the slot. "It’s the first playoffs for all three of us, so we’re just playing every game hard, playing for the team.

Filip Chytil scored a pair of goals to lead the way for the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad, Artemi Panarin, Frank Vatrano and Chris Kreider also found the net for New ...

Zibanejad got a long lead pass from Vatrano up the right side on a 2-on-1, sent a pass across to Kreider, who fired it past Vasilevskiy from the inside edge of the left circle for his ninth goal of the postseason. It gave the Rangers a goal with the man advantage for the sixth straight game, tying a franchise playoff record, previously accomplished in 1986 and 1990. ... Tampa Bay is 1-3 when giving up the first goal, and 1-3 when trailing after two periods. It was his fifth of the playoffs. Chytil made it 4-2 with 4:17 left after the Rangers had extended possession in the offensive zone. The Rangers regained the lead 1:19 later.

The Rangers continued their roll Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, while the Lightning, coming off a lengthy layoff after sweeping ...

We hadn't played in a game in a while here," he said. We expected that," Hedman said. "But it was still all the guys that have been around here for a while that had their fingerprints on the scoresheet," he said. "It's Game 1. Since then, New York added forwards Andrew Copp and Tyler Motte, as well as defenseman Justin Braun. The Rangers also found some line combinations that have clicked in the postseason, such as the "Kid Line." But I thought we rebounded well," Cooper said. "We certainly didn't have our best," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "You know, they're rolling. "Turk's got them rolling," Cooper said of Gallant and his team. "We might have gotten a little tired as the game went on. It makes a difference." We got a day off, we played a game, and it really looked good for us tonight," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said.

Filip Chytil scored twice in the second period and the host New York Rangers routed the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 on ...

It gave the Rangers a goal with the man advantage for the sixth straight game, tying a franchise playoff record, previously accomplished in 1986 and 1990. It was his fifth of the playoffs. "They played a good game," Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman said. Tempers flared with less than two minutes remaining as several skirmishes broke out in one corner. I-gor's bet-ter!" With much of the focus coming into this series centred on the goalies, the Madison Square Garden crowd began chants of "I-gor's bet-ter! "There was a lot of sharpness," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. Andrei Vasilevskiy, who gave up just three goals in four games against the Panthers, had 28 saves. Igor Shesterkin stopped 37 shots to improve to 8-3 in the last 11 games. I am confident we will have a better effort next game. I think we know what we have to do better. We just got to continue to do that."

John Romano | Do not be too worried about a Game 1 blowout against New York. The Lightning have been here before.

Finally, they might want to get Andrei Vasilevskiy back in the groove. When the Lightning stink, they really stink. And when they’re playing their game, they’ve been almost impossible to beat the past three postseasons. The Lightning came into the series averaging seven giveaways a game in the postseason. “We might have gotten a little tired as the game went on,” Cooper said. They might also want to be a little more precise with their shots. New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin had some brilliant moments, but he also was fortunate that the Lightning came up empty on a number of prime scoring chances. “It’s because we haven’t played a game for a while here. Does that sound like a team that’s comfortable knowing how to win when the hour is late? This is kind of what the Lightning do. For six games, they played like a team of leading men. They might want to start with puck handling.

The Rangers' Chris Kreider scored to give New York an early 1-0 lead, while Lightning captain Steven Stamkos tied the game six minutes later. New York's Frank ...

The Rangers’ Chris Kreider scored to give New York an early 1-0 lead, while Lightning captain Steven Stamkos tied the game six minutes later. Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad also scored for the Rangers, while NY goaltender Igor Shesterkin made 37 saves in the win. New York’s Frank Vatrano and Tampa Bay’s Ondrej Palat traded goals early in the second period before Rangers forward Filip Chytil scored back-to-back goals to bring the Rangers back to the lead.

His rise started when head coach Gerard Gallant reunited the “Kid Line” of Chytil, Alexis Lafreniere, and Kaapo Kakko, and they gelled nicely in the playoffs.

With their resounding victory, the Rangers just gave the Lightning a very strong wake-up call. Early in the second period, defenseman Jacob Trouba had just fallen to the ice and the Lightning were charging down with a two-on-zero break. Poor handling of the puck and not being on the right side of the puck were just a couple of problems that led to the defensive breakdowns. It was also Vatrano that made a key defensive play that represented the Rangers’ gritty effort that the Lightning lacked. There is no question that the Lightning were slow and sloppy in the defensive zone in Game 1. The second goal happened on a cross-ice pass from K’Andre Miller, a play that the Lightning are usually able to defend well.

Tampa Bay Lightning broadcaster Phil Esposito was on the phone from midtown New York on Wednesday morning, two blocks from Madison Square Garden.

"I thought it would be a six- or seven-game series with the Panthers. Who the heck thought we'd win in four?" "(Coach) Billy Reay started it with the Black Hawks because he wanted us to get out of bed." "Vasilevskiy is the one, it seems to me, who makes the huge save at the right time. Ever. That's the truth." Shesterkin, a Vezina Trophy finalist this season, clearly was the better goalie in Game 1, making 37 saves. He's by far the most valuable player on the Lightning. By far. "But they don't have the opportunities to enjoy themselves off the ice like we did. Since then, Tampa Bay has gone 40-17 in winning 10 consecutive playoff series and the Stanley Cup twice. But if the Lightning are in it, I cheer for them. It was with the Chicago Black Hawks that Esposito began his 18-season, 1,282-game NHL career, playing four years from 1964-67. I don't know if they can go to the bathroom without someone taking a picture." "If the Lightning weren't in it and Boston or New York or even Chicago were, I'd probably cheer for them.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have been here before, and they are poised to bounce back in Game 2 against the New York Rangers.

Something has to give and if the Lightning come out on top in Game 2, they will steal home-ice advantage and head home to potentially take a commanding lead in the series. When he isn’t writing or podcasting, he is focused on his son’s hockey schedule with the Jr Miami Redhawks. He currently resides in Dayton, Ohio with his wife and four sons. James has been covering sports – primarily the NFL and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – for nearly ten years. They have to return to the sacrificial style of defensive hockey that Stamkos called “inspiring.” When the chips are down for the Lightning, he finds a new gear and reminds everyone that he’s one of the best players in the game. To take it even further, since the first round against the Blue Jackets in the 2020 Bubble, the Lightning have won 16 consecutive games following a loss in the playoffs. Following a 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to lose sight of the things that have made them so successful in the postseason the last two years. He has a propensity to become frustrated and disengaged at times but tends to bounce back the following game. Coming off of those 16 losses, he has 29 points, which translates to 1.8 points per game, and has scored in all but two of those games. the New York Islanders in 2021, and vs. the Boston Bruins and Dallas Stars in 2020, vs. This is a familiar hole Tampa has dug for themselves in the past, but not one so drastic that they can’t find a way out of it.