Rangers hold home ice in Game 2

The Rangers hold home ice, identifying some cracks in the Tampa Bay armor to boot. The Lightning are a great team, and they not only made us sweat, but they kept it close when it shouldn’t have been close. Vasilevskiy, despite some shakiness, made some very difficult saves to prevent the Rangers from blowing it open. Then Nick Paul’s goal late in the third made us sweat. But it was the Rangers coming out on top 3-2, taking a 2-0 series lead to Tampa.

The Lightning made adjustments. They slowed the neutral zone. Their breakouts were adjusted to bring forwards lower to counter the Rangers forecheck. Vasilevskiy played better. It didn’t matter. The Rangers knew there would be adjustments, and they still answered the call. The kid line dominated at even strength again, and Igor Shesterkin was brilliant again.

Oh, and another streak broken by the Rangers.

Lightning 1, Rangers 0

After a slashing penalty to Ryan Reaves, but not to Pat Maroon, the Bolts answered on the powerplay. Nikita Kucherov’s shot was deflected by Ryan Lindgren and beat Igor Shesterkin.

Rangers 1, Lightning 1

The breakout was really made by the beautiful cross ice pass in the neutral zone. K’Andre Miller was the last man in at the high slot, and Frank Vatrano found him for the first shot that was blocked, and then the next shot which beat Vasilevskiy.

Rangers 2, Lightning 1

Another “Shift” from the kid line. They again get the Bolts running around, and after a post, they left Kaapo Kakko wide open at the back door. Adam Fox doesn’t miss those passes.

Rangers 3, Lightning 1

The Rangers got a pair of odd man rushes on this shift after weathering the Lightning storm on the first shift. Vatrano missed his shot on the first, but Zibanejad took things into his own hands on the second, and beat Vasilevskiy clean. Kucherov with the turnover to start that second rush.

Rangers 3, Lightning 2

The Lightning were up a man for a while with Vasilevskiy pulled, and then a nice passing play led to Nick Paul getting open in the slot with Shesty moving against him, and he slid it past him.

So the Rangers hold home ice, and now the series moves to Tampa. The Rangers just need one game there to get a stranglehold on the series. This isn’t an AV team. Go for the jugular.

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