*** 2021-22 Eastern Conference Finals: Tampa Bay Lightning (A3) at New York Rangers (M2) - (TBL WIN 4-2) ***

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

Season Series...Who won it?
Rangers swept all three games, 3-0-0

Tampa Bay Lightning looking to find their way into the Finals for the third straight year.....and could be encountering their most versatile opponent yet in these playoffs in the up n coming NY Rangers.

New York seems to have grown as a group by leaps and bounds. Adding to their already impressive core players from outside who are winners as well.
The Rangers will also be facing their stiffest challenge to date in this postseason as they look to do what no other team has been able to do for the last 2+ years:
Defeat the Lightning in a best of 7 playoff set.

Should be a very good Eastern Finals...both teams have top players at every position, some seasoned more than others, but all supremely talented.
Who executes, who keeps their wits about them, and who adjusts better to the other team will be the one skating away Prince of Wales Champion.

Do the Lightning continue on their history making path? Or do the Rangers put an end to that, and attempt to establish a championship path of their own?

Bolts, Blueshirts... East Finals series talk, right here!
And place your votes in the series prediction poll!

Edited June 12, 2022 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[mojo1917]

I know the Rangers swept the season series. 

I still don't believe in them.

I can't help but think were it not for the Jacob Trouba elbow, We'd be talking about the wild game 7 between the Pens and 'Canes.

I picked Bolts in 6

Igor is too good for them to not be in every game. So the Blueshirts will win a couple.

I just think Tampa has the championship recipe; they are playing better now than they were in the regular season.

I think they have that extra gear that the Rangers don't....yet.

[Brewin Flames]

Meh, Tampa will Tampa, but NY (mainly Igor) will steal at least one game, and Tampa may have at least one bad night, so Bolts in 6.

[yave1964]

Bolts in a 1-0 quadruple overtime thriller with both goalies turning aside 80 shots. book it.

[FD19372]

2 hours ago, yave1964 said:

Bolts in a 1-0 quadruple overtime thriller with both goalies turning aside 80 shots. book it.

Pat Maroon time.

[Buffalo Rick]

Rangers were 3-0 vs them regular season.  I’ll take Rangers in 6.  No I never dreamed Rangers were good enough to get this far.  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

15 minutes ago, Hockey Junkie said:

Rangers were 3-0 vs them regular season.  I’ll take Rangers in 6.  No I never dreamed Rangers were good enough to get this far.  

 

That's fine picking the Rangers in 6 (they CAN be pretty good if allowed to be by the opponent  ), but i hope you  thought this out beyond "Rangers were 3-0 during the regular season".

We all know what regular season records are worth in the playoffs... 

[Buffalo Rick]

21 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

That's fine picking the Rangers in 6 (they CAN be pretty good if allowed to be by the opponent  ), but i hope you  thought this out beyond "Rangers were 3-0 during the regular season".

We all know what regular season records are worth in the playoffs... 

They have always been good at home.  And how many teams swept Tampa?

[Math]

Goalies: 

Defense: 

Offense: 

Special teams (PP/PK): 

Coaching: 

Mental: 

Experience: 

Robustness: 

Depth: 

 

It's pretty close in all aspects but i still see the Lightning a bit better in most of them. And the Rangers faced a starting goalie in 5% of the overall postseason time they played. Tampa in 6.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I'm gonna sound like a 'Homer' here, but, when you are a fan of a team THIS good, hard to bet against them!
Lightning are the team to beat....until someone does.
No one has. In the playoffs. For the last two and a half playoffs.

Rangers are good. They have heart, they have skill, they have grit, they have defense, they have goaltending.
At times, they look a little "wowed" to be where they are....and teams have taken advantage of that...particularly of their very fine netminder Igor Shesterkin.

Where the Penguins failed to stamp out NY...where the Hurricanes (and their anemic PP) failed to put NY on the ropes and KEEP them there.... the Lightning aren't gonna let NY back up should the Rangers falter.

Blueshirts' wily vets (Zibanejad, Kreider, Goodrow...former Lightning BTW, Panarin, Reaves, Trouba) are gonna have to help keep the young guys' wits about them as they face a team that won't see ANY moments in these playoffs as "too big".
If they can do that, and the producers produce, the defenders defend, and Vezina Shesterkin shows up (not Shester Cheese!), the Rangers have a shot.

But I think the Bolts, aside from perhaps some slow starts due to the extra time with no games and guys healing up after getting beat around the first two rounds, are gonna do what they need to do, are gonna produce on the PP, are gonna defend like champions...while Andrei Vasilevskiy does Vasilevskiy things in net.
(Still waiting for a 2022 playoff 'scorpion tail' save!    ).

Rangers will take advantage of some of the Lightning's slow starters, while Vezina Shester WILL show up and steal a game or two, but it will be enough ONLY for those two games...wherever they may be.

Bolts in 6.
Not saying it will be easy...nothing has so far in these playoffs...even the 4-game sweep of Florida saw the Lightning pay a heavy physical toll....but once the Champs get rolling, it WILL get done!  

[GratefulFlyers]

This series has to go all the way and if it does the Rangers have the home-ice edge. Other than Brayden Pointe (still not skating AFAIK) I don’t think there are any injuries to speak of on either team. Both goalies are at the top of their games… the only thing that’ll surprise me is if it doesn’t take 7.  Rangers in 7.

 

edit: I looked at Vasilevsky's stats from his last 6 games ... can I change my answer? But then again Shesterkin is right there with him in Save% (.932 vs .928). This one is TCTC!

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by GratefulFlyers

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Watching the pre-game warm ups.... the Lightning look serious, look ready, look relaxed, and look recharged after the time off between series.
I will be hoping that translates to sharp play right away, but expect they COULD start out slowly.

But everyone from the star players on TB to the bottom six role players seem ready to take on the home town Rangers.
They seem to be doing their own thing on their half of the ice, probably mentally game planning....SOME of the Rangers seem to be a bit preoccupied with what the Bolts are doing instead of just focused on themselves.... Artemi Panarin for example.

Interesting. 
Does that mean anything?
Are the Champs in the heads of the Rangers?

Maybe...maybe not.

They will be dropping the puck in about 10 minutes, so we will soon see!  

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Ice sheets have been cleaned, teams are heading out to the ice for the anthems and the start of the game.

Bolts were shown fist bumping, giving each other nods....they know what they gotta do.
Blueshirts were shown with Reaves howling like he was during the Carolina series....hey, it worked for NY then, he is hoping it works for them now!

Ryan McDonagh, former Ranger, when told his buddy Chris Kreider called him a "wonderful human being"...was THEN asked if he would take it easy on him after that compliment:
McDonagh (with a straight face): "No chance. Too much on the line"

Now THAT is what Bolts fans want to hear!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Awesome goalie pre-game preparations...

Igor Shesterkin...just stares down at the ice as he does his stretches in net.
Andrei Vasilevskiy.... squats, looks left, looks right...pep talks the posts...he is ready! 

And puck is dropped....Game ON!!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And Chris Kreider got his boys off n running already!
Wow!!

1-0 NY.

McDonagh better get on him...pinching up ice...no bueno..

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Stamkos blast gets the Champs back into the game!

You know a shot was hard when the goalie's head doesn't turn until WELL after the puck is bulging the twine!

1-1 game and so far, this is living up to the competitive hype.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Freakin Frank Vatrano scores to make it 2-1 NY.

Well now...if NY's third string guys are gonna score, Bolts need one from 'swingman' Jan Ruuta...

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Emily Kaplan to Gerard Gallant: "What was your favorite part about that goal? (Vatrano's)"
Easy answer should have been "it went in, Emily."

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And Ondrej Palat doesn't let the NY fans enjoy their lead very long. 

Puts one past Shester for the tie score at 2

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Kakko and Chytil team up on a fantastic play and set up to give NY the lead once again.

3-2 Rangers on a Gretzky-esque feed from Kaapo to Filip, who puts it past Vasilevskiy.

Even I gotta appreciate that one!

[NoGoal]

Tampa was gassed.  Cirelli needs to get that puck out of the zone.

 

Defense got too flat and allowed that open lane for the pass to Chytil.

[CorkyM]

Rangers appear to be playing pretty good hockey right now, but there’s another period and supposedly………a long series.

[NoGoal]

Don't think Tampa has quite found their game yet.  Hedman, especially, doesn't look right.  Not sure if there's a lingering injury there, or if it's just because of the time off.  But, he doesn't look right.  Their d(team d, not just defensemen) needs to be better, and maybe get some scoring from their bottom 6.  At least, shots and scoring chances from them.

Edited June 2, 2022 by FireDillabaugh

[Dumpster Hockey]

Having a long period off between series is not always the best. The Rangers are not far off from game play while the Lightning have had 9 games between game play. It may take the Lightning a bit to get back into the game time action after that layoff and for them it better be in the Game 2 or they will find themselves possibly down 2 games to zilch heading back to Tampa. 

 

Another thing is they are dealing with Shesterkin and not Bobrosky and Campbell. Tampa is a very quality team that can come back,but it is going to be a lot more difficult against Shesterkin then the goalies in the previous rounds. 

[NoGoal]

Awful turnover.  Wouldn't be surprised if that's game right there.