Rangers were never behind and forced the preliminary decision with three goals in the second period. Tampa Bay’s six goals conceded more goals than the three total in the previous playoff series against the qualifiers Florida Panthers.
The Lightning, who won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 and are in the semifinals for the sixth time in eight years, had not played a game since May 23 after the last six wins in a row. The Rangers, on the other hand, looked fresh despite only a day off. On the night of Tuesday they surprisingly knocked out the Carolina Hurricanes with Nino Niederreiter in the decisive seventh game.
–
