NEW YORK | Rangers have their backs against the wall, but they are on familiar ground. Down three wins to two in this Eastern Conference final between the Tampa Bay Lightning, they are in exactly the same situation as in the previous two rounds.
• Read also: Abrupt end of party
In each of the first two rounds, whether against the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Carolina Hurricanes, Gerard Gallant’s troops had to survive at least two games with the possibility of being on vacation.
“We’ve been in this situation before,” Ryan Lindgren said. It seems like we’re playing our best hockey when our backs are against the wall. »
“We’re going to take it one game at a time and build on our past experiences,” added the defenseman, using two of the biggest shots in hockey history.
Another goal at the end of the match
To improve their chances of reaching the final for the first time since 2014, Rangers will need to avoid goals late in the game. In two of the Lightning’s three losses, they allowed the game-winning goal in the final two minutes of the third period.
“It’s not attributable to defensive errors. Tonight, in particular, was a veiled shot. The kind of shot we often got too. With the difference that, for us, the throw was blocked by a defender,” analyzed Gerard Gallant, head coach of the Rangers.
“When you follow the game plan to the very end, that’s what happens. We have guys capable of making plays and you never know when that’s going to happen. Patience, avoiding pushing too hard, that’s probably part of the experience we’ve acquired over the years, ”said Steven Stamkos, to explain his team’s success at the end of the game.
Palat, the warrior
Each time, it was Ondrej Palat who hit the target. The Czech dominates Lightning history with 11 game-winning goals in the playoffs.
In fact, the former Drummondville Voltigeurs forward became the first NHL player to score two game-winning goals in the last two minutes of playoff games, and the fifth to do so in the last five minutes.
“He has the mentality of a warrior. He is ready for anything. You can attribute it to the hockey gods or karma, but he’s being rewarded for playing the right way,” the Lightning captain said.