4
0
Lightning against the ropes as the scene switches to Tampa.
TB-2
NYR-3
New York Leads the Series 2-0
Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 28 shots for the loss. He was shaky and he wasn’t good enough tonight. Period. There was at least one soft goal in the three and that ended up being the margin.
First Period
2:41 TB Kucherov (5), (Hedman, Cirelli)(PP)
5:59 NYR Miller (2), (Vatrano, Kreider)
17:32 NYR Kakko (2), (Fox, Chytil)
Second Period
NO SCORING
Third Period
17:58 TB Paul (3), (Perry, Kucherov)
The Lightning got off to a very good start in this game with the power play goal and then some puck luck on the Miller goal just put them right back in the toilet a la Game One. Sloppy, turnover-riddled play that ended up giving the Rangers free chances and they didn’t get the goaltending tonight to erase it. And things just bogged down because the Rangers are a different team when they have a lead. They clogged up the neutral zone for the Second Period and much of the Third Period, and the Lightning didn’t get on the front foot again until it was too late.
Nothing’s done. The Lightning can turn this around because the fancy stats say this is a more closely played series than it feels. But the backs are squarely against the wall now as they need to get both games in Tampa to give themselves a legit chance.
Box score and extended statistics from NHL.com.
