Just one chance to move forward
Rangers’ record of Game 7 excellence is tough to match.
It’s one game for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and the chance to play for hockey’s biggest prize.
That’s what the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers face tonight at Madison Square Garden in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Picking a winner at this point is pure speculation. Every game has been different and each team has its advantages.
The Lightni ng have the ‘Triplets’ line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat, a hot captain in Steven Stam
kos, an outst anding defenseman in Victor Hedman and goaltender Ben Bishop, who has stepped up whenever the season has been on the line.
The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers had the NHL’s best regular-season record, a 42-goal scorer in Rick Nash, a shutdown defensive duo of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi, and the exper i ence of having been to the finals just a year ago.
The difference maker also belongs to the Rangers: goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. No one is better in Game 7s than the Swede.
Lundqvist has won his last six Game 7s , posting a 0.81 goals-against average, a .973 save percentage and one shutout. The six consecutive Game 7 wins are an NHL record and his Game 7 wins are tied with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy for the most in NHL history.
“I don’t know if I’m comfortable,” Lundqvist said after practice Thursday at the Rangers’ Westchester, N.Y., facility. “I just try to go out and do my job. You’re definitely ner vous, but it comes down to teamwork.”
Final schedule: The Stanley Cup Final will open on Wednesday with Game 1 in New York, Tampa or Anaheim.
The NHL announced that Game 1 will be at Madison Square Garden if the Rangers beat the Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final tonight.
If the Lightning win, they’ll have home-ice advantage in the Cup final if the Blackhawks beat the Ducks in Game 7 of the West final. If the Ducks and Lightning win, Anaheim has home ice.
Sabres: Buffalo hired former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma to fill its vacant coaching position. Bylsma, 44, was fired by the Penguins last summer. With one year remaining on his contract, the Penguins will receive a third-round draft pick in 2016 from the Sabres as compensation.
Sharks: San Jose hired former New Jersey and Florida coach Peter DeBoer to replace the departed Todd McLellan. DeBoer has coached seven seasons in the NHL with the Panthers and Devils.