Lightning rally from 2-goal deficit to defeat Rangers

Just when it appeared the New York Rangers might be ready to push Tampa Bay to the brink of elimination, the twotime defending Stanley Cupchampion Lightning showed they were nowhere near finished.

Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos scored to wipe out a two-goal deficit, and Ondrej Palat finished a dramatic comeback with the 10th winning playoff goal of his career Sunday in a 3-2 victory in Tampa, Fla., that cut the Rangers’ lead in the Eastern Conference finals to 2-1.

Palat scored with 42 seconds left, off a nifty back pass from Kucherov, to cap a rally that began after Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider scored powerplay goals in a span of just over two minutes to put the Rangers up 2-0 in the second period.

Facing the prospect of falling behind 3-0 in the series, the Lightning fought back with Kucherov scoring on the power play in the second period and Stamkos blistering a shot past goalie Igor Shesterkin from the left circle early in the third.

“We were down 2-0, and I don’t want to sit here and say we didn’t deserve to be down 2-0 because their power play has been great,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “I think in maybe years past — three, four years ago — maybe panic would’ve set in at some point, but not with this group.”

Kucherov had a goal and two assists.

Stamkos had a multi-point game, too, with a goal and an assist. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots after being outplayed by Shesterkin in Games 1 and 2.

“It went right down to the wire and had a chance to win late,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “Disappointing, but we’ll move on and get ready for the next one.”

Kane suspended: Edmonton’s Evander Kane was suspended for one game by the NHL for boarding Colorado’s Nazem Kadri in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Saturday. The former Sharks forward was assessed a major penalty on the play, and Kadri is out for the series with an undisclosed injury suffered when he slammed into the boards. Selke for Bergeron: The Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward for a recordbreaking fifth time.

Bergeron does not have a contract for next season and has declined to say whether he plans to come back for a 19th season.

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Steven Stamkos of the Lightning celebrates the go-ahead goal scored by Ondrej Palat with less than a minute left in the third period in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals in Tampa, Fla. Tampa Bay’s win trimmed its deficit in the series to 2-1.