Lightning is on verge of title-round berth

Rangers used to being on the brink of elimination

TAMPA, Fla. — Steven Stamkos knows what it is like to come close to getting to the Stanley Cup final and wind up not playing on the biggest stage.

It happened to the Tampa Bay Lightning four years ago, and this threetime All-Star is determined to not let another opportunity slip away.

After a slow start to the playoffs, the high-scoring Tampa Bay captain helped the Lightning push the New York Rangers to the brink of elimination from the Eastern Conference final. Game 6 is tonight at Amalie Arena.

A Lightning victory would send Tampa Bay to the Cup final for the second time. The Rangers, meanwhile, are looking to extend the series to a seventh game, which would be played Friday night in New York.

“You kind of have to realize where you are and kind of use that as a little bit of motivation,” Stamkos said. “The harsh reality is, some guys in this room may never get the chance to get this far again. Hopefully everybody does, but you never know in this sport.”

Stamkos knows firsthand. He and defenseman Victor Hedman are the only players remaining from the Tampa Bay team that came within one victory of playing in the Cup final in 2011. The Lightning lost Game 7 to Boston, 1-0. and didn’t win another playoff game until this year.

The two-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner was a young, rising star on that team. Now, he’s one of the league’s most-prolific scorers, leading a club that’s flourished in the playoffs even when Stamkos has struggled to score.

After failing to find the back of the net in Tampa Bay’s first eight games this postseason, Stamkos has scored in seven of the past 10 to help the Lightning eliminate Montreal in the second round and take a 3-2 series lead against the Rangers.

The Rangers overcame a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Washington in the second round. They’ve been a resilient team in reaching the conference final three of the past four years and say they believe they’re capable of taking the series back to New York.

“We’ve obviously been in a few of these situations in the past and are very confident that our group is going to enjoy the opportunity and enjoy the challenge, get ready for it and come up with a good game,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.