Palat puts the Lightning a win away from Final
He breaks a tie with 1:50 left in regulation to help the defending champions push Rangers to the brink.
TAMPA BAY 3 NEW YORK RANGERS 1
NEW YORK — After falling behind midway through the game, the Tampa Bay Lightning showed the poise of a two-time defending champion. They rallied for another late victory to move a win away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final.
Ondrej Palat scored on a deflection with 1:50 left to break a tie and lead the Lightning to a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night for a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference final.
“We just stayed patient,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said. “We knew it would be a challenge in this atmosphere. We knew it would be a low-scoring grinding game. We continued our game plan and got rewarded.”
Mikhail Sergachev had a goal and an assist, and Brandon Hagel also scored to help the Lightning get their third straight victory, the first by a road team in this series. Andre Vasilevskiy stopped 24 shots.
On the tiebreaking goal, Sergachev got a pass from Victor Hedman and fired a shot from the right point in front that deflected off Palat’s knee and past Igor Shesterkin to give the Lightning their first lead of the night.
“I saw our guys going to the net hard,” Sergachev said. “I tried to shoot the puck as quickly as possible.”
Ryan Lindgren scored for New York, which had won eight straight at home. Shesterkin finished with 24 saves.
“It definitely stings,” Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba said. “It was a tight game that could have gone either way. I think that’s what makes it more frustrating.”
Said Lightning coach Jon Cooper: “We haven’t won the series, it’s just 3-2. The Rangers — any team — has proven they can wipe that out. We’re the first ones with our eyes wide open. knowing that can happen.”