Rangers top Lightning for 2-0 lead

NEW YORK — Mika Zibanejad scored in the third period, Igor Shesterkin stopped 29 shots and the New York Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Friday night to take a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

K’Andre Miller and Kaapo Kakko scored in the first period, and Adam Fox and Chris Kreider each had two assists for the Rangers. New

York won its eighth straight home game, extending a franchise playoff record.

Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay, Nicholas Paul also scored, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves. The Lightning goalie has allowed nine goals in two games against the Rangers after limiting Florida to three in a four-game sweep in the second round.

The Lightning have lost consecutive playoff games for the first time in the last three postseasons. The twotime defending Stanley Cup champions were 17-0 after a loss coming in.

The series shifts to Tampa for Game 3 on Sunday and Game 4 on Tuesday night.

Zibanejad extended the Rangers’ lead to 3-1 early in the third period. Shortly after missing wide on a 2-on-1, he got a pass from Fox, skated into the left circle and fired a shot that beat Vasilevskiy high on the stick side at 1:21. It was Zibanejad’s ninth of the playoffs and gave him goals in six of the last seven games.

With Vasilevskiy pulled for an extra skater, Paul scored in front off a pass from Corey Perry to pull the Lightning within one with 2:04 left.

Vasiliveskiy was pulled again for an extra skater when Shesterkin had to make several sprawling saves with about a minute to go.