Tampa Bay gets some players back but loses

TAMPA — The Lightning needed a bounce-back performance Friday against the Rangers after Thursday’s 9-3 road rout by the Panthers. And while Friday’s 4-3 shootout loss was sort of a step in the right direction, Tampa Bay will have to wait until next year for its next win.

With 1:39 remaining in the first period, Tampa Bay eventually capitalized on a man-advantage opportunity — its second of the game — as Steven Stamkos fired a one-timer from the left faceoff circle. The puck flew past Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (25 saves) for a 1-0 lead six seconds into the power play.

The Rangers tied it, however, about halfway through the second period on a broken play that left the Lightning goal wide open for Alexis Lafreniere. Goaltender Brian Elliott — activated from COVID-19 protocol on Friday along with defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Andrej Sustr — was caught behind the net on the play, trying to clear the puck. But Elliott (19 saves) instead turned it over, and Lafreniere shot on an empty net to tie it with 14:30 remaining in the period.

Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow, playing in his first game at Amalie Arena since winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning last season, helped New York to a 2-1 lead with a shorthanded goal late in the second.

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and Elliott miscommunicated on the play. Elliott played the puck away from the wall — and Goodrow — to the other side of the ice, but it wasn’t a clean enough pass for Hedman to grab and clear. Goodrow grabbed the puck and raced toward Elliott, who couldn’t get settled in the crease. Goodrow slipped it fivehole for the first Rangers lead of the game.

Lightning forward Ross Colton tied it at 2 with a one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle. Goodrow broke the tie with his second goal of the night off a tip on a K’Andre Miller shot through traffic with 6:25 remaining. The Lightning pulled Elliott for the extra attacker with just over two minutes to go and Corey Perry scored to tie and send the game to overtime. After a scoreless extra period, the Rangers won with a goal from Mika Zibanejad in the third round of the shootout, the only goal.