Lightning ties series, Rangers aim to regain edge at home
The New York Rangers have been in a similar position before in this postseason — looking to reverse the momentum back home after dropping two games on the road.
In the first round against Pittsburgh, they returned home after falling into a 3-1 series hole and won three straight to advance.
In the second round, they were down 2-0 and won four of the next five to move on.
Now they come back to New York tied 2-2 with two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference final, hoping to turn the tide in Game 5 on Thursday night (8 p.m., ESPN) at Madison Square Garden. Two of the last three games will be at home, where they’ve won eight in a row.
“I think we’re probably in the best spot we’ve been through three series,” forward Andrew Copp said Wednesday. “We got two games at home. I think we play really good at home . ... I think we’re all confident where we’re at right now but there’s got to be an increased level of desperation for sure.”
The Rangers will be looking to rediscover the offense that seemed to be rolling along the first two games when they outscored the Lightning 9-4. They were outscored 7-3 in the two games in Tampa.
On Tuesday, the Lightning delivered on a promise to play with a greater sense of urgency. Nikita Kucherov scored on a breakaway and Andrei Vasilevskiy had 33 saves in a 4-1 win at Tampa.
“They haven’t made any mistakes, we haven’t had a lot of scoring chances,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said.
“They didn’t create a whole lot of scoring chances either, but they haven’t made the mistakes and I think that’s from experience from winning teams. They don’t give up much and that’s how you win Stanley Cups.”
The Rangers aren’t discouraged by their losses on the road, where they are 2-7 this postseason. They also know what they need to improve on from the last two games — play more physical and do a better job of getting inside scoring chances against Vasilevskiy.
They expect a boost from playing at home, where the haven’t lost since falling in three overtimes in Game 1 of the first round against Pittsburgh.
The Lightning will be looking to build on the momentum they created at home after showing signs of rust at the start of the series following a nine-day layoff. Tampa Bay had won six straight before dropping the first two games against the Rangers.
The Lightning turned it around in this series by tightening up defensively, clogging New York’s passing lanes and forcing most of the Rangers’ shots to come from outside. The few times they did get close, Vasilevskiy was there to shut the door.
“We’ve been desperate the last couple of games,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said.
“We knew how important they were to get back in this series, and we’ve done it. But we can’t sit on our hands now and be happy with that. We got to keep moving forward . ... I’m sure now that desperation is going to kick in for them.”
Playing with an increased level of urgency, Tampa Bay — which has won 10 straight playoff series the last three postseasons — was also more disciplined in staying out of the penalty box. The Rangers, with the league’s best power play in the postseason, only had two chances in Game 4.
The Lightning could get a boost if Brayden Point is able to return at some point in the series.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper did not officially rule out the All-Star center — who hasn’t played since sustaining a lower-body injury in Game 7 of the opening round against Toronto on May 14 — for Thursday’s contest, saying he won’t have a definitive answer until Thursday morning.
ELSEWHERE
Kraken: Goalie Chris
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Driedger will miss most of next season after he underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Driedger was injured while playing for Canada against Finland in the title game of the world championships. He had surgery on Monday.
Driedger, who had a breakout season with the Panthers in 2020-21, had a rocky first season with the Kraken after signing a three-year, $10.5 million deal due to injuries and inconsistency.