2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Rangers vs. Lightning Eastern Final preview

The conference finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs feature four teams in two best-of-7 series, which start Tuesday.
Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference Final between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

(2M) New York Rangers vs. (3A) Tampa Bay Lightning

Rangers:52-24-6, 110 points; 4-3 to win first round against Pittsburgh Penguins; 4-3 to win second round against Carolina Hurricanes
Lightning: 51-23-8, 110 points; 4-3 to win first round against Toronto Maple Leafs; 4-0 to win second round against Florida Panthers
Season series:NYR 3-0-0; TBL 0-2-1
Game 1:Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, CBC, SN, TVAS)
The Tampa Bay Lightning will resume their pursuit of history and the New York Rangers will try to continue their resilient run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when they play the Eastern Conference Final.
The Lightning are on a quest to become the first team to win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders won four straight championships from 1980-83. Tampa Bay's sweep of Florida in the best-of-7 second round was its 10th consecutive playoff series win.
"It's a special group, no doubt, and the beauty of the group is we're not satisfied," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "We want 12 straight."
The Rangers aren't satisfied either after advancing to the conference final for the first time since 2015 with a 6-2 victory against the Hurricanes in Game 7 of the second round Monday. New York, which is 5-0 when facing elimination in the playoffs, trailed 2-0 and 3-2 in the series with Carolina after rallying from down 3-1 to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
The Lightning, who have been off since their 2-0 series-clinching victory in Game 4 against the Panthers on May 23, have won six consecutive games since falling behind 3-2 in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"Obviously they're a great team," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "They won two Cups. Jon Cooper is a great coach, good friend of mine. It should be a good battle. It should be a fun series. We played them well in the regular season, which means nothing. But we're looking forward to the challenge."
This is Lightning's sixth trip to the conference final/NHL Semifinals in eight seasons, a run that began with a seven-game victory against the Rangers in the 2015 Eastern Conference Final. Forwards Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat and Stamkos, defenseman Victor Hedman and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, a rookie backup to Ben Bishop at the time, remain with Tampa Bay from that series. Forward Chris Kreider is the lone remaining Rangers player.

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Game breakers

Rangers:Mika Zibanejad is third in the playoffs and leads New York with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 14 games. The forward has points in five straight games (four goals, four assists), including three assists in Game 7 against Carolina. Zibanejad's four power-play goals are tied for most in the playoffs. He led the Rangers with four goals in three regular-season games against the Lightning.
Lightning:Kucherov elevated his play with forward Brayden Point sidelined because of a lower-body injury and led Tampa Bay with seven points (two goals, five assists) in its sweep of Florida. The forward also leads the Lightning with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 11 postseason games. Kucherov is third among active players with 142 points (48 goals, 94 assists) in 124 NHL playoff games behind Sidney Crosby (201) and Evgeni Malkin (180).

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Goaltending

Rangers:Igor Shesterkin is 7-3 with a 2.09 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in his past 10 playoff starts after going 1-2 with a 4.26 GAA, .905 save percentage and getting pulled twice in his first four. He is a finalist for the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player and the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL after going 36-13-4 in 53 regular-season games, leading the NHL with a 2.07 GAA and .935 save percentage (minimum 25 games) and finishing third with six shutouts. Backup Alexandar Georgiev is 0-1 in the playoffs with a 2.04 GAA and .935 save percentage in two relief appearances.
Lightning:Vasilevskiy is 5-0 with an 0.80 GAA, .978 save percentage and one shutout in his past five starts after going 3-3 with a 3.37 GAA and .885 save percentage in his first six. He has played every minute of every playoff game for Tampa Bay the past three seasons. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy voted as the most valuable player in the playoffs last season, when he was 16-7 with a 1.90 GAA, .937 save percentage and five shutouts. Vasilevskiy was 39-18-5 with a 2.49 GAA, .916 save percentage and two shutouts during the regular season.

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Numbers to know

Rangers:New York has won six straight home games since losing 4-3 in triple overtime to Pittsburgh in Game 1 of first round. The Rangers blocked 132 shots and averaged 18.71 blocks per 60 minutes in the second round. The power play is 13-for-40 (32.5 percent) in the playoffs, including 7-for-21 (33.3 percent) in the second round. New York's penalty kill held Carolina to two power-play goals on 18 opportunities (88.9 percent) and is 33-for-41 (80.5 percent) in the playoffs.
Lightning: Tampa Bay blocked 77 shots in four games against Florida for an NHL-best 19.25 blocks per 60 minutes. The Lightning is 11-for-48 (22.9 percent) on the power play in the playoffs. The penalty kill held the Panthers to one power-play goal on 13 opportunities (92.3 percent) and is 36-for-41 (87.8 percent) for the playoffs.
RELATED: [Complete Rangers vs. Lightning series coverage]

X-factors

Rangers: Andrew Copp has been a valuable addition for New York since being acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets on March 21. The forward is third on the Rangers with 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 14 playoff games after scoring 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 16 regular-season games following the trade. Copp is third among Rangers forwards with 19:57 of ice time per game, including 2:23 per game on the penalty kill and 55 seconds per game on the power play.
Lightning:Nick Paul has taken on a bigger role with Point out, averaging 20:03 of ice time in the second round, including 3:33 shorthanded (first among Lightning forwards) and winning 55.9 percent of his face-offs. Paul scored 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 21 regular-season games with the Lightning after being acquired from the Ottawa Senators on March 20. The 27-year-old has six points (two goals, four assists) in 11 playoff games.

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They said it

"[Tuesday] morning we'll start our preparation and go from there. Quick turnaround and they obviously pose an entirely different challenge." -- Rangers forward Chris Kreider
"We're professional enough to know what to expect come [Wednesday]. We're excited about that opportunity. We are ready to get back into the game action obviously, but you're not going to say no if you get a couple of extra days extra after winning four straight." -- Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman

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Will win if …

Rangers: They ride the momentum from their Game 7 victory Monday to a fast start, Shesterkin can at least match Vasilevskiy's level, the power play remains hot, and they wear down the Lightning over a long series.
Lightning:They shake off the rust quickly following their long layoff, play team defense like they have since Game 7 of the first round (four goals against in past five games) and their forward depth holds up without Point, whose 16 goals the past two postseasons are tied with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche for most in the NHL.

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How they look

Rangers projected lineup
Chris Kreider -- Mika Zibanejad -- Frank Vatrano
Artemi Panarin -- Ryan Strome -- Andrew Copp
Alexis Lafreniere -- Filip Chytil -- Kaapo Kakko
Tyler Motte -- Barclay Goodrow -- Ryan Reaves
Ryan Lindgren -- Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller -- Jacob Trouba
Justin Braun -- Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Alexandar Georgiev
Scratched:Kevin Rooney, Patrik Nemeth, Libor Hajek, Greg McKegg, Julien Gauthier, Jonny Brodzinski, Dryden Hunt
Injured:Sammy Blais (knee)
Lightning projected lineup
Steven Stamkos -- Anthony Cirelli -- Nikita Kucherov
Ondrej Palat -- Nicholas Paul -- Alex Killorn
Brandon Hagel -- Ross Colton -- Corey Perry
Patrick Maroon -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Victor Hedman -- Erik Cernak
Ryan McDonagh -- Zach Bogosian
Mikhail Sergachev -- Cal Foote
Jan Rutta
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Brian Elliott
Scratched:Riley Nash
Injured:Brayden Point (lower body)