The Tampa Bay Lightning scored two late goals to beat the New York Rangers 3-1 and secure a two-win series lead ahead of Game 5.
Ondrej Palat scored with around 50 seconds left in the third period, while Brandon Hagel’s insurance goal made it 3-0 with about a minute remaining. The win gave the Lighting a better chance to defend their Stanley Cup title. Mikhail Sergachev also scored for the Lighting, while Ryan Lindgren scored the Rangers’ only goal. The defending champions now have a chance to close out the series at home on Saturday.
Love this energy at MSG. If the @NYRangers score first, the roof may come off!
— NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2022
Capitilazing errors
The goal by Sergachev highlighted the importance of the Rangers’ narrow margin of error. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Kevin Rooney coughed up the puck in front of the net, which ended up on Sergachev’s stick.
Although the goal was initially credited to Palat, Sergachev was later credited with the goal after getting a shot through traffic and past New York’s Igor Shesterkin. His confidence grew as he had not scored in over a month, and he beat Shesterkin with a high-quality shot.
Despite the widely held belief that Sergachev’s brace was the result of luck, he was actually the best skater for the Lighting during the game. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Lightning managed to control almost 68 percent of the shots expected to go in during 5-on-5 situations.
If the Lighting can get past the Rangers in the next round, it will be because of their unique combination of talent and depth. Sergachev has been an integral part of the team’s success both in the regular season and in the playoffs. He is the bridge between the team’s current and uncertain future.
It is hard to believe that at 23 years old, Sergachev can already play at a high level. He is a capable top-pair defender who previously played on a lesser team. Despite his immense talent, the 6-foot-3 has never once complained about his role or the minutes he was given. As the history of the Lighting continues to be written, Sergachev will continue being a central piece.
— x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 10, 2022
What’s left of Rangers
The Rangers will now face an uphill battle in their series against Tampa Bay. The team with the advantage in the series has the better talent and continuity, and it is now up to them how they want the series to end.
If the Rangers want to win the series, they will have to out-compete the Lighting’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. For most of the series, Shesterkin has been the Rangers’ best player. Even though he allowed two goals in the non-prime locations of the building, Shesterkin still played well enough to keep the Rangers in the game. It will be a challenging task for the Rangers to keep Vasilevskiy at bay.
“I expect their best game,’’ Lightning coach Jon Cooper said about the next matchup. “And with the guy they have leading the charge behind their bench [Rangers coach Gerard Gallant]. He’s a hell of a coach. He’ll have them going.”
STARTING. pic.twitter.com/yr25sXPqlb
— x – New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 10, 2022