Down the Frozen River

Tag: 2015 Eastern Conference Finals

Bolts Strike Twice and Beat Rangers, Stamkos Leads the Way to a 3-2 Series Lead

2015 Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 Recap

By: Colby Kephart

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Rangers 2-0 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. The first line from Tampa stepped up with Steven Stamkos and Valtteri Filppula each scoring a goal in the second period. Ben Bishop and Tampa’s defense found a way to keep the Ranger’s off the board entirely, earning Bishop the shutout.

The first period saw few chances for both teams, along with a lot of scrappy play and board battles. Tampa had a quick chance in the first minute of the game, when Tyler Johnson got a shot wide of the net. The Rangers also had a few chances on a 2 on 1 breakout led by Martin St. Louis but it was stopped by Bishop. Nearly 4 minutes into the period Tampa took the game’s first penalty, as the Lightning were called for too many men on the ice.

On the ensuing power play, quick passing from the Rangers gave Chris Kreider a great chance that hit the side of the net. About 3 minutes later the Rangers took their first penalty, when Marc Staal was penalized for interference. New York held their blue line and didn’t give up any major chances while on the penalty kill.

The game then transitioned to many battles along the boards and a lot of grind-it-out play. New York held Tampa in their defensive zone for a decent amount of the period. Tampa was struggling to get their offense going and frustration took over as Johnson took a slashing penalty with 5 minutes remaining in the period. The Lightning then killed off the penalty kill with ease. Offense was a rarity during the period as the Rangers only had 6 shots on goal and Tampa had a measly 4 shots on goal through 20 minutes of play.

Tampa got yet another quick start to the second period, similar to the first period. This time it was Stamkos alone in front, after a turnover, firing a wrist shot that was matched by Lundqvist’s glove hand. Riding the momentum of the save, the Rangers had an upper hand on the game-playing along the boards, behind the net. This made a terrific chance for Derek Stepan, as he sent a one-timer on Bishop that was denied.

Tampa then took a series of penalties; the first one came at 7:19 of the period for a high stick from Jason Garrison on Rick Nash. The penalty kill for Tampa was unmatched by the New York’s power play unit and actually created a chance for Alex Killorn on a 2 on 1 heading the other way, but was denied by Lundqvist. Tampa killed off Garrison’s penalty, but found themselves shorthanded again a minute later as Andrej Sustr tripped Carl Hagelin. Similar to the last penalty kill, the Lightning made the kill and only allowed Rick Nash a chance that was thwarted by Bishop.

Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images

Finally, Valtteri Filppula scored the game’s first goal as Stamkos received a stretch pass from Anton Stralman, who then passed it to Filppula in the slot, putting it past Lundqvist with six minutes remaining in the period. Tampa had found their offense and began to establish the zone and eventually was able to draw a penalty, that sent Marc Staal to the box for tripping with 3 minutes remaining in period.

The Lightning didn’t pass up the opportunity to double their lead, as Steven Stamkos rocketed home his seventh of the playoff, with help from Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat on the power play. Ben Bishop had stopped all 16 of New York’s shots to this point and Lundqvist’s numbers weren’t looking as good with 13 saves on 15 shots.

The third period witnessed a strong defensive performance by the Lightning and saw the Rangers try everything to get their offense going. Even though the Rangers were on the attack from the opening faceoff of the period, Tampa managed to pressure in their offensive zone and brought a penalty on New York. Chris Kreider went to the sin bin for a delay of game penalty. Tampa couldn’t amount anything on the power play and the Rangers killed it off.

New York juggled their lines in hopes of seeing a result and had a line consisting of Nash, Stepan, and Kreider that created a great chance after Nash spun around a pass to Stepan for the one timer, but Ben Bishop was there to make the save. New York was dominating play and it was tilted in their favor, but couldn’t beat Bishop try after try.

The Rangers pulled Lundqvist with 3 minutes left and a minute later Palat and Brassard took matching minor penalties for slashing. The clock counted down to zero and gave Ben Bishop another shut out in this year’s playoffs. Bishop stopped all 26 shots he faced, while Lundqvist allowed 2 goals on 22 shots.

Tampa’s defense was the story of Game 5, as they protected Bishop and preserved the shutout. The Lightning’s penalty kill was also strong in Game 5, forcing the Rangers empty handed on the man advantage- New York wound up 0 for 4 on power plays. The first line continued to produce with both Stamkos and Filppula scoring goals. The Rangers got the type of game they wanted with a low scoring game, but couldn’t find a way past Ben Bishop. The series is now 3-2 in favor of Tampa, with Game 6 back in Tampa, Florida at Amalie Arena on May 26^th at 8 pm with televised coverage on NBCSN.

May 25, 2015
Rangers, in Dominant Fashion, Take Game 4 and Tie Series 2-2

2015 Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 Recap

By: Colby Kephart

The New York Rangers bounced back from Game 3 to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 in Game 4 at Amalie Arena on Friday night. The stars for the Rangers showed up with two goals from Rick Nash and one from Martin St. Louis. Henrik Lundqvist had 38 saves, while only allowing one goal. The Rangers also managed to keep Tampa’s Triplet Line off the scoresheet altogether.

The first period saw a better defensive performance from the Rangers as they limited the chances for Tampa. The Lightning’s first true scoring chance came 4 minutes into the period when Nikita Kucherov found the puck in front of Hendrik Lundqvist and shot it over the net. New York took the first penalty of game 8 minutes into the first period when Martin St. Louis was sent to the sin bin for interference.

Tyler Johnson then got a great chance on the power-play, as he found the puck in the front of the net and rang it off the post. About 4 minutes later, Tampa’s Anton Stralman took an interference penalty of his own on a hit delivered to Kevin Hayes. Tampa managed to kill the penalty without even allowing on shot on Ben Bishop. With under 3 minutes left in the period Rick Nash snapped his cold streak with a power move, in which he slid the puck past Bishop’s leg pad into the net. Both teams finished the first period equal in shots on goal with seven apiece.

The second period saw the undisciplined Rangers show up from the first minute when Marc Staal took a holding penalty on Cedric Paquette. While on the penalty kill the Rangers had a great chance with a 2 on 1 that ended up with Nash trying another power move that was denied by Bishop’s pad. Just a few seconds later, Alex Killorn had a breakaway from a stretch pass sent by Victor Hedman on the power play and was denied by Lundqvist. The Rangers killed the penalty, but a few minutes later Killorn got another chance while on a 2 on 1, but the puck slipped off the end of his stick and went wide of Lundqvist.

At this point in the game, it was all one way traffic in favor of Tampa. The Rangers found themselves down a man again, when Chris Kreider took a penalty for tripping Brenden Morrow. Tampa had a few chances on the power play, but the Rangers managed to kill it off again. The Lightning couldn’t be kept off the board long after that though, as Steven Stamkos managed to beat Lundqvist with a slap shot from the slot.

The game didn’t stay tied for long, however, as just 3 minutes later New York regained the lead. Kreider managed to find his 7^th goal of the playoffs on what was yet another rebound goal. The Rangers weren’t done however, as two minutes later Keith Yandle got his first of the playoffs, sending a shot that bounced off Hedman past Bishop.

Tampa continued to fire at the net, but Lundqvist remained superior and continued to shine through two periods. After forty minutes of play, Lundqvist had 25 saves on 26 shots. While at the other end of the ice, Bishop was having a rough game, stopping only 10 shots on 13 shots against.

The third period started similar to the second period, as Tampa continued to shoot without any rewards to show for it. The Lightning took their second penalty of the game just 4 minutes into the period with Nikita Nesterov high sticking St. Louis. On the ensuing power play, St. Louis finally got his first of the playoffs, putting a shot in the open side of the net on a back door pass from Derick Brassard.

Halfway through the period Tampa’s Brenden Morrow was called for hooking. The Rangers capitalized again with Yandle’s shot from the point deflected on goal by Kevin Hayes and banged home on the rebound by Nash, past the legs of Bishop, for his second of the night.

The game finished with a lot of scrums from frustrated Lightning players, culminating in a barrage of penalties. Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Carl Hagelin, and Ryan McDonagh all received roughing penalties. Severl game misconducts were handed out to a few players, including Nikita Kucherov, Kevin Klein, Morrow, Tanner Glass and Paquette. Eventually time expired, ending Lundqvist’s great night- stopping 38 of 39 shots on goal. It also brought the end of Ben Bishop’s rough night- only stopping 19 of 24 shots on goal.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

This game saw the appearance of all of the Rangers superstar’s, Rick Nash, Martin St. Louis, and Henrik Lundqvist. All of them had amazing games in Game 4. St. Louis finally got the all-important first goal of his playoff run, and his play changed immediately afterwards, as he continued to create chance after chance.

Rick Nash had a two goal night, and his form looked as it did during the regular season. Keith Yandle also had a terrific night with a goal and two assists in the best performance of these playoffs for him. The first star of the game still goes to Lundqvist who had a huge bounce back after Game 3’s uncharacteristic performance.

Tampa’s Triplet Line and big stars had a lot of chances, but couldn’t find a way to put the puck to the back of the net. Ben Bishop struggled and the puck didn’t bounce in his favor on Friday night. The series is now tied at 2-2 with it now effectively becoming a best of 3 to see who will represent the Eastern Conference in the 2015 Stanley Cup finals. Game 5 is Sunday at 8 PM with TV coverage on NBCSN.

May 23, 2015
Lightning Strike 6 Times, Triplet Line Dominates in Overtime Win: Tampa Leads Series 2-1

2015 Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 Recap

*Editors Note: I delayed this post because I was watching Letterman. Thanks, Dave. -NL

By: Colby Kephart

The Tampa Bay Lightning triumphed the New York Rangers 6-5 in overtime in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The game was a wild shootout with both teams lighting up the scoreboard. The goalies weren’t the story in Game 3, but both teams can’t question the offense. Nikita Kucherov scored the winner just 3:33 into overtime. Tampa, for the first time in the series outshot the Rangers 40-28.

The first period saw a fast start to the game for the New York Rangers. Tampa didn’t help themselves out when Cedric Paquette took a roughing penalty only 26 seconds into the first period. Derick Brassard capitalized on the ensuing power play, scoring a power play goal assisted by Dan Boyle and Derek Stepan just over a minute into the first period.

Tampa had a chance to answer with a power play of their own after Dominic Moore took a cross checking penalty 3 minutes into the game. The Rangers managed to kill the penalty and the physical play picked up a notch with big hits from Steven Stamkos and Keith Yandle. A few minutes later, Jesper Fast turned over a pass from Chris Kreider, and exchanged it for a breakaway; scoring a beauty with a great deke past Ben Bishop.

The Rangers had reached their post-season goals-a-game average with 2 goals in the first period. But a minute after the Fast goal, Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn got a 2 on 1 and Stamkos scored on the rebound off Killorn’s shot. This got the Lightning on the board and made the game 2-1 New York. The Rangers were behind in shots 12-9 heading into the second period.

The second period saw goals on goals on goals and the continuation of lack of discipline with both teams. The period started without Tampa’s, Matt Carle, who was not on the bench and unable to return. Then Tampa took a too many men on the ice penalty just 2 minutes into the period. Tampa managed to kill off the penalty, but found themselves shorthanded again just 4 minutes later. The penalty kill for Tampa got it done again, killing off another New York Rangers power play.

New York then took a penalty about halfway through the period- Derick Brassard for hooking- but didn’t have the same luck as Tampa on the penalty kill as Ondrej Palat scored just seconds after the penalty was taken. A few minutes later Brenden Morrow (Tripping) and Keith Yandle (holding) took coincidental minors resulting in 4 on 4 hockey for 2 minutes. Tampa made good use of fewer men on the ice with the playoff leading scorer Tyler Johnson scoring again.

This gave Johnson 4 goals in just 3 games of the Eastern Conference Finals and tied a franchise record for goals in the post season (12). Tampa doubled their lead a few minutes later with Alex Killorn scoring a beautiful goal, as he stalled and moved the puck through a few defenders before releasing a shot past Henrik Lundqvist. Tampa had scored 3 goals on just 10 shots at this point of the game.

Just when it looked like Tampa would dominate the game, Jesper Fast scored his second goal of the game on a rebound off of Kevin Klein’s shot. This was one of the few times the Rangers have scored more than 2 goals in the playoffs this year. 3 goals were scored in a little over a 7-minute span in the second period. Tampa was up one after two and still outshot the Rangers 24- 16.

The third period started similar to the first period. Andrej Sustr took a tripping penalty 2 minutes into the period. New York figured out their power-play issues when Ryan McDonagh’s one timer beat Bishop. This was the Rangers second power-play goal of the game, with assists came from Kevin Hayes and Keith Yandle. The game then slowed down to 5 on 5 hockey for a decent amount of time. With 5 minutes remaining in the period Ondrej Palat scored his second of the night with a great effort to beat Lundqvist.

At this point it looked like Tampa would take Game 3, but then the Rangers got ready to pull Lundqvist with 2 minutes left and found a way to answer. Keith Yandle drove a shot from the point deflected by JT Miller and Dan Boyle got his stick on the puck and forced it to the back of the net sending this game into overtime. At the end of regulation, Tampa outshot the Rangers 35-22. Tampa was also outhitting the Rangers 37-27.

Overtime saw an explosive start by Tampa as they were skating well. The first chance came from JT Brown, who was denied by Lundqvist just 2 minutes into the period. Then the final triplet scored the game winner. Nikita Kucherov sniped one from the slot and beat Lundqvist from distance.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The “Triplet Line” of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov made up for 4 of the 6 goals scored by Tampa. These 3 men were together for most of the season and played this well for most of it. In Game 3 the Triplets had a 7 point night; Palat had two goals and an assist, Johnson had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Kucherov had the most important goal and an assist.

This game didn’t fit the New York Rangers style of play, because they don’t score a lot of goals. If Games 4 and 5 are like this you might see the Rangers going out in 5 games. The Rangers need the goaltender battles and the close game to force this series deeper and stand a chance to make the Stanley Cup Finals. Game 4 will be Friday May 22^nd at 8 pm still in Tampa, Florida. Coverage will be on NBCSN.

May 21, 2015
Tyler Johnson’s Hat Trick Sparks Lightning, Bolts Take Game 2

2015 Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 Recap

By: Colby Kephart

Tyler Johnson’s hat trick helped the Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the New York Rangers 6-2 in a thrilling end-to-end battle. Tampa coach Jon Cooper made changes from Game 1 switching from 12 forwards and 6 defensemen to only 11 forwards and 7 defenseman. This proved to be confusing for the Rangers and Cooper juggled the lines all night and pulled off a big win at MSG.

The first period was full of special teams action and undisciplined hockey by both teams. Tampa started the period off pretty strong similar to Game 1, recording the game’s first few shots on Lundqvist. About 2 minutes into the first period Tampa took their first penalty- Brian Boyle for holding. Tampa got put in a horrible situation after taking another penalty just a minute later when Jason Garrison was called for delay of game.

But then the unthinkable happened. Martin St. Louis tripped with the puck at his stick and the red hot Tyler Johnson took it the other end and scored shorthanded just 5 minutes into the first period. Tampa Bay then managed to kill off the rest of the Rangers power play, but took another penalty a few minutes later when Brendan Morrow got 2 minutes for high sticking. This time the Rangers took advantage of their power play and Chris Kreider notched home a power play goal assisted by St. Louis and Dan Boyle.

Special teams performances didn’t change the attitude of the players as Kreider (roughing), Ryan Callahan (tripping), and Derek Stepan (tripping) all took penalties within minutes of each other. The result was a 4 on 3 power play, which Tampa capitalized on. Johnson got his second goal of the game- and league leading 10^th of the playoffs- assisted by Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov.

With just 5 minutes remaining in the period, Derick Brassard took a penalty for high sticking. The Rangers killed it off without giving up any real opportunities. Both teams had a few power play opportunities during the period with Tampa racking up 8 penalty minutes and the Rangers taking 6 penalty minutes. New York, despite trailing by one after the first period, outshot the Lightening eleven to nine.

The second period brought some discipline issues for Tampa just like in the first period; it started in the first minute with Braydon Coburn taking a roughing penalty. The Lightning managed to kill off the penalty and the game seemed to calm down as both teams finally played some 5 on 5 hockey.

Alex Trautwig/Getty Images

Just 8 minutes into the second, fans back in Tampa, Floridawere throwing their hats at their TV’s as Johnson scored his 3^rdgoal of the game, assisted by Ondrej Palat and Kuckerov. This gave Johnson a goal even strength, shorthanded and on the power play and was his 11th of the playoffs.

About halfway through the period a freak injury to linesman, Brad Kovachick, occurred on a hit from Stamkos delivered to Kevin Klein, catching Kovachick by accident. It appeared as though Kovachick’s injury was to his knee.

Greg Devorski replaced Kovachick on the ice, and the Rangers resumed firing away on Ben Bishop. The Rangers began throwing the kitchen sink at the net and drew a questionable penalty on Cedric Paquette. New York converted with the man advantage as Bishop made two huge saves on Derek Stepan, but couldn’t make the third as Stepan bounced it off Tampa defenseman, Braydon Coburn, on another power play goal for the Rangers.

Stepan has recorded a goal in the last three games. The final two minutes of the period saw end-to-end hockey with chances for both teams. After two periods of play the Rangers still outshot Tampa twenty-two to fifteen.

The third period saw the opposite of the second period with the Rangers being the undisciplined team. Stepan took another tripping penalty in the first minute of the period. Even though the Rangers killed it off, the Lightning kept the puck in the zone as Killorn netted his first of the night, making it 4-2.

A few moments later Brassard took his second penalty of the game and got 2 minutes for high sticking. Tampa capitalized on the ensuing power play with Steven Stamkos deflecting a shot in front of the net by Lundqvist. At this point it became frustrating for the Rangers as Lundqvist allowed two goals on three shots. Things started to become edgy as Tanner Glass took a 2-minute minor penalty for roughing and a 10 minute game misconduct for a scrum in Tampa’s end.

Killorn then capitalized on his second goal of the night in what was another power play goal for the Lightning. The Rangers continued to shoot on Bishop, but couldn’t find a hole. New York outshot Tampa for the entire game finishing with thirty-seven shots on goal compared to Tampa’s twenty six.

Game 2 saw an amazing performance by the league leader in playoff goals, Tyler Johnson. In Game 1 Johnson had 1 point with the assist on Ondrej Palat’s goal. In Game 2 he had a 3-point night by scoring his team’s first 3 goals of the game.

His actions woke his team up and the woke Tampa’s first line up as Alex Killorn had 2 goals and Steven Stamkos netted one on Monday night. Tampa’s stars decided to show up and let the Rangers what they are truly made of.

It was the opposite for the Rangers, despite Kreider and Stepan scoring goals, you have to wonder where are Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis in this series, let alone the playoffs as a whole. If it wasn’t for Kreider and Stepan how would the Rangers be in the playoffs? Both St. Louis and Nash had great chances in the game, but couldn’t seem to beat Ben Bishop.

The series is now tied at 1-1 and Game 3 will be in Tampa, Florida on Wednesday May 20^th at 8 pm and will be televised on NBCSN.

May 19, 2015
Moore Lifts Rangers to 2-1 Win and 1-0 Series Lead

2015 Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Recap

By: Colby Kephart

The New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 saw the Rangers win 2-1 having scored late goals in both the second and third period. The goal scoring was open by the red hot Derek Stephan with just 12.7 second remaining in the second period. Tampa Bay then evened the game with a power play goal from Ondrej Palat with under seven minutes to go in the second period. Dominic Moore gave the Rangers the lead on his game-winning goal with only 2:25 remaining in the game, in front of the packed Madison Square Garden.

The first period began with an explosive start by both teams with Tampa registering a shot on goal in the first minute of play and the first three shots of the game. The Rangers got their first shot of game about two and half minutes into the period and created a lot of opportunities that were denied by Ben Bishop.

A few key chances came from Rangers forward, Kevin Hayes, after he hit the post with a shot. About eight minutes into the period, another big chance for New York’s, Derek Stepan, on a break away was denied with the left pad by Bishop. The Rangers outshot Tampa 11 to 7 in the energetic first period. Both teams played a disciplined game through the first period, with no penalties called on either team.

Tampa started off fast and the Rangers finished strong in the second period. The Lightning had a great opportunity in the first minute of the second period, with Alexander Killorn putting the puck just wide of the net. The second period was full of odd man rushes in both directions and saw Bishop and Henrik Lundqvist making great saves.

About 4 minutes into the period the Rangers took the first penalty of game, JT Miller was sent to the box with a minor penalty for slashing. Seconds later, Tampa’s Ondrej Palat took a penalty for tripping Dan Girardi behind the net. Five minutes later Tampa took another penalty for too many men on the ice. This sparked a great New York power play, with great chances from Martin St. Louis and Derick Brassard.

The intensity also picked up throughout the period, with some rough stuff and scrums after the whistle. Just as it looked like the second period was going to finish like the first, Stepan found a rebound off Bishop and put in the net with 12.7 seconds remaining. Stepan’s goal was assisted by Chris Kreider and Ryan McDonagh. The Rangers continued to outshoot Tampa 22-19 at the end of forty minutes.

Tampa came out strong, once again, to begin the third period, with Palat netting a power play goal. Palat’s goal was assisted by Victor Hedman and Tyler Johnson about 7 minutes into the period and made the game 1-1. The Rangers struggled with discipline in the third having taken 3 penalties. McDonagh took a penalty for high sticking Tyler Johnson and the Lightning capitalized on it, just 5 minutes into the period.

Courtesy: NHL.com

Kreider took penalty a few minutes later for holding the stick. The Rangers killed the penalty similar to a penalty taken by Dominic Moore with just five minutes remaining in the game. Then Moore came out of the box and scored with just over two minutes remaining. The assists were given to Kevin Hayes and Derick Brassard. The Rangers then closed off the game with the win despite not finding the empty net. The Rangers outshot Tampa 31-24 at the end of the sixty minute effort.

The biggest takeaway from this game was the stellar goaltending from Bishop and Lundqvist. Ben Bishop had 29 saves on 31 shots for a .933 save percentage and “King Henrik” stop 23 of 24 for a .958 save percentage. Both goals scored on Bishop were scrappy goals- the game winner just bounced off Dominic Moore’s leg. The only goal Lundqvist gave up was a power play goal that was absolutely sniped by Palat.

Finally, another factor was the number of turnovers the Rangers caused for Tampa’s defensemen in their own zone. The Rangers caused a lot of havoc for Tampa and the turnovers created half the chances the Rangers had to score. Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals will be Monday, May 18^th 2015 at 8 pm at Madison Square Garden and televised on NBCSN.

May 16, 2015
2015 Eastern Conference Finals Preview

By: Nick Lanciani

2015 Eastern Conference Finals

1) New York Rangers vs. 2) Tampa Bay Lightning

Game 1 Saturday, May 16 1 PM EST on NBC

NYR- Round 1- defeated PIT in 5 games. Round 2- defeated WSH in 7 games. 3^rd ECF finals appearance in 4 years (2012, 2014, and 2015).

TB- Round 1- defeated DET in 7 games. Round 2- defeated MTL in 6 games. 3^rd ECF finals appearance in franchise history (2004, 2011, and 2015)- first time since 2011.

New York Rangers have home ice advantage.

Henrik Lundqvist is still searching for his first Stanley Cup. Yes, that’s hard to believe for a goalie of his caliber, but it’s true. He’s run into other teams on great runs, most notably the team the New York Rangers just beat on Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals. Some hockey writers argue that Braden Holtby has shown that he can be considered an elite goaltender.

Wrong.

He needs another year of performing just like he did this year to cement his status as a potential elite goaltender (fear not, Washington fans- before you bust out the fisticuffs- I think he is capable of doing it, he just needs one more year of stellar play to be considered elite).

But anyway, back to Lundqvist. He’s backstopped the New York Rangers and kept them in many games throughout the first couple of rounds of the playoffs and it seems as though they are beginning to understand now that you need to score in order to win. And scoring more than one goal is a good thing. Lundqvist has a .944 SV% and a 1.60 GAA in 12 games played so far, whereas Tampa Bay Lightning goalie, Ben Bishop, has a .931 SV% and a 1.81 GAA in 13 GP.

Both goaltenders have been superb. Bishop’s current run reminds me of Tim Thomas’s 2011 Stanley Cup run with the Boston Bruins in that he has been a large factor in Tampa’s game. The Lightning have had sparks of brilliance when all four lines and all three defensive pairs are rolling right along and things are absolutely fantastic to watch. The Triplet Line aside, the Lightning still have an incredible roster of youth, sprinkled in with some veteran talent and experience.

Also of note in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals, there are numerous former Lightning players, now Rangers, and former Rangers, now Lightning, going head to head in this series. If that’s not enough alone to hype up, not only who won the trade (remember the Martin St. Louis fiasco?), but the sheer fact that those players were smart enough and lucky enough to leave one good team for another.

Despite the hype of the pure talent in the West, there is pure grit and heart in the East with amazing storylines of how careers came to be, were shaped, and how they currently are. St. Louis, Dan Boyle, and Dominic Moore all once spent time in Tampa. Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, and Anton Stralman have all spent time with the Rangers (please tell me you recall the St. Louis for Callahan trade now).

The Rangers are the current President’s Trophy champions are should show why they are, however have struggled to get the offensive power on full blast from a night to night basis. Their defense is solid and obviously their goaltending is the cream of the crop. Tampa, on the other hand, has leading goal scorer in the playoffs, Tyler Johnson, alongside the gifted goal scorer Steven Stamkos, and the rest of their powerful roster that can also score on any given night.

Tampa’s defense is similar to the Rangers, however Bishop certainly is no Lundqvist when it comes to the strength of their net. Should Bishop need to be pulled, Andrei Vasilevsky- A 20 YEAR OLD BACKUP GOALIE- certainly can play well, but is no match for New York’s backup, Cam Talbot (should Lundqvist have a rare off night when things count the most).

Forget Corsi in this series. Only three players (two from Tampa, one from New York) rank in the top 20 in the playoffs with at least 8 games played. But do remember goaltending, as New York ranks first in fewest goals against per game with 1.67 (Tampa ranks 5^th with 2.15). Again, both goalies have left everyone in awe of their athleticism, but how will they respond facing even quicker teams than the ones they faced in the last round?

The Lightning have scored 2.62 goals for per game so far, meanwhile the Rangers only score about 2.00 goals for per game (15^th out of the 16 teams in the playoffs, although technically they are tied for 13^th, if that makes you feel better). Both penalty kills are evenly matched (NYR ranks 4^th, TB ranks 6^th) and as a matter of fact, so are their power play units (TB ranks 9^th, NYR rank 11^th).

No matter what, if the Rangers are going to win, they’re going to need their best players to start stepping up and holding their weight- Rick Nash. If the Lightning are going to win, they’re going to need to keep their momentum going and not get discouraged if Lundqvist robs them of a great scoring chance every now and then.

May 16, 2015