The Rangers acknowledged the inevitability of the fightback by the Tampa Bay Lighting after they took a two-game lead in the series. However, they did not look ready to face it.
New York Rangers allowed the Lighting to come back and win at home, and they did so in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. The victory gave the visitors a 3-2 lead and forced Game 6 at Madison Square Garden.
The team had a golden opportunity to close out the series but failed to capitalize on it. It could have cost them their spot in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Tampa Bay Lightning looked like the team that won the Stanley Cup last season during the final two games of the series. On the other hand, the Rangers were not the same group that dominated the first two games of the series.
The Rangers started the season slowly, and they eventually fell back into the habits that were problematic during the previous season. They were able to get back on track after starting the season with a solid record, thanks to the play of goalkeeper Shesterkin.
Rangers lose neutral zone, Lightning tie series
The Rangers could not do much in the neutral zone, which was why they were often chasing the play instead of slowing down the Lighting. They also took too many penalties in the third period, which allowed the Lightning to take a two-goal lead. Chris Kreider took two penalties in the third period, and the Rangers were outshot 6-1 during the final 20 minutes.
Steven Stamkos scored a goal early in the third period to put the Lighting up by two. The Rangers only managed to get on the board after Artemi Panarin scored a power-play goal. Despite being outshot, the Lighting was able to get through the game with the help of Vasilevskiy, who made 33 saves.
In addition to missing Strome, the Rangers were without forward Ryan Strome, who left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury. This injury prevented him from playing in Game 4 of the series. Kevin Rooney, who was a healthy scratch during the first two games, returned to the lineup.
After forward Filip Chytil took a hit from Victor Hedman in the second period, the Rangers were down to 11 forwards. They ruled him out for the rest of the series due to an upper-body injury.
The Lighting controlled the play from the start of the game. After a couple of minutes, Tampa Bay’s defenseman, Zach Bogosian, took a shot from the point blocked by Ryan Reaves. He then made a pass to Patrick Maroon, who could put the shot past the Rangers’ goalkeeper.
In the fourth minute, the Rangers started struggling with slowing down Bogosian, who was making his way through the middle of the ice. The Rangers were also called for a tripping penalty on Reaves, which allowed the Lighting to take the power play. After the goal, the Rangers thought they had scored a second goal, but the officials ruled that the goal was not scored.
The officials made the correct call, and Lighting was able to capitalize on the opportunity. They were able to score in various ways, and they looked like a team capable of winning.
