Rangers enter Game 2 of East Final against Lightning in unfamiliar role
Hold series lead for first time in playoffs; Tampa Bay 17-0 after loss since start of 2020 postseason
They have pinned their entire run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to their never-quit mentality, a resiliency that has allowed them to come back in games and in each of their first two series against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes.
But the Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. They have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series, the first time they have had a series lead in the playoffs.
Game 2 is at the Garden on Friday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).
It's time now for the Rangers to be chased instead of them doing the chasing.
"You've got to have the same mindset, backs against the wall, down," defenseman Justin Braun said Thursday. "Every game is important. You've got to come out with the same mindset that this is the night you need to get it done or it's tied up going back to their barn. This game is just as important as any other game we've played throughout the playoffs."
RELATED: [Complete Rangers vs. Lightning series coverage]
If this one-game lead feels even less secure to the Rangers there's a reason. The opponent.
The Lightning don't lose back-to-back games in the playoffs, or at least they haven't since getting swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2019 Eastern Conference First Round.
They are 17-0 in games following a loss since the start of the 2020 playoffs. That's how they have won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
"It's an impressive stat," Braun said. "That's what you need to do to have good runs in the playoffs is not multiple losses and they've done that for a long time now."
Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said that winning streak "doesn't matter to me, it really doesn't."
He elaborated.
"They didn't beat us 17 times, they beat other teams," Gallant said. "We've just got to get ready to play our game and go play. We know they're going to be good. We know they're a great team. Everybody knows that, but it doesn't affect what we're going to do tomorrow."
Though it's possible this is the old easier said than done situation for the Rangers because nobody knows how they're going to react or respond to being up in a series for the first time, odds are we'll know quickly in Game 2 if they are fazed by it because it will show in their play. If they keep attacking and finding open ice like they have the past three games, they might just be the team that finally defeats the Lightning two games in a row in the playoffs.
The Rangers have scored 17 goals in their past three games, including a combined 11 in Games 6 and 7 against the Hurricanes in the second round to win 5-2 and 6-2, respectively. They scored nine goals in the first five games of that series.
"I told them to open it up a little bit," Gallant said jokingly after Game 1.
He quickly said that's not the case, that the Rangers haven't decided to open it up and play chance for chance hockey. Instead, Gallant said the opposite led them against the Lightning in Game 1 the same way it did to get the back-to-back wins against the Hurricanes in Games 6 and 7.
"When you compete hard defensively and you get opportunities like we did tonight, some 2-on-1s, some power-play goals, that's the recipe for us to win hockey games," Gallant said Wednesday. "We had great goaltending again and solid chances and we buried our chances."
To that point, New York is 5-for-10 on the power play with 90 shots on goal (30.0 per game) in their past three games, including 34 in Game 1 against Tampa Bay, after getting 127 in the first five against Carolina (25.4 per game). Igor Shesterkin has allowed six goals on 117 shots (.949 save percentage).
But history shows the Lightning should be expected to limit the Rangers' chances in Game 2 and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy should be lights-out good after allowing six goals in Game 1.
Vasilevskiy has six shutouts and has allowed 28 goals in the Lightning's 17-game run after a loss. They are 87.0 percent on the penalty kill (47-for-54) in those games too.
"They're going to be ready to play," Gallant said. "You don't win two Stanley Cups and not be ready to play at this time of the year, so we expect their pushback."
The Rangers should know what to expect. They're usually the team pushing back.
Let's see how they handle a lead now.
