Tampa Bay Lightning center Valtteri Filppula (51) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the New York Rangers.
MCT/Tampa
Valterri Filppula scored shorthanded at 18:55 of the third period as the banged-up Lightning, playing shutdown defense reminiscent of their playoff run to the Eastern Conference title last spring, snapped the Rangers’ nine-game winning streak on Thursday with a 2-1 win.
Five of the Lightning’s top five forwards, including former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, were sidelined with injuries. But Rangers coach Alain Vigneault had warned before the game that Tampa, a powerful team when intact, had “their whole defensive corps, their goaltender, some of their top forwards. They’re going to be highly motivated. We need to focus on what makes us play a strong game.”
Down 1-0 on Alex Killorn’s first-period goal, the Rangers tied the score when Jesper Fast pressured Anton Stralman into a turnover behind the goal line and Dominic Moore beat Ben Bishop with a wrister at 13:43 of the third period. It was Moore’s second goal of the season.
Ryan McDonagh was called for interference at 14:23, and the Lightning went to their second power play of the evening, but the Rangers killed the penalty.
Brian Boyle went to the box with 1:26 to play in regulation, but McDonagh lost the puck near the blue line in the offensive zone on the power play, and Filppula finished a two-on-one rush with J.T. Brown.
In the first meeting between the teams since May 29, when the Lightning eliminated the Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, 2-0, the Blueshirts’ offense never really got untracked.
Henrik Lundqvist stopped 26 shots, Bishop stopped 20.Just 3:51 into the third, Chris Kreider was awarded a penalty shot after being held by Andrej Sustr. But Bishop stopped Kreider’s forehander with his right pad.
The Rangers hadn’t trailed by more than one goal during the first or second period all season, and Thursday’s game was no different. In a tight-checking game, the Lightning led 1-0 after 40 minutes, with the Rangers outshot 17-14.
In the second period, with Jason Garrison in the box at 5:43 for pulling down Rick Nash, the Rangers had a couple chances to tie the score. Former Ranger Stralman, diving across the crease to the right post, prevented Mats Zuccarello’s shot from going in, and Kevin Hayes’ shot from the right circle that bounced off Victor Hedman was stopped thanks to a quick reaction from Bishop, who looked behind him but the puck was in his pads. The Rangers outhit the Lightning 17-5 in the period.
Bishop had been 8-0 against the Rangers in the regular season, with a 1.47 goals-against average and two shutouts, and his teammates clamped down in front of him at Amalie Arena.
With the teams skating four-on-four in the first period, Killorn, who scored the winning goal in the third period of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, beat Lundqvist at 14:47 after a turnover by Keith Yandle. During the nine-game winning streak, the Rangers had trailed for just 57:13. The Lightning, playing with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, as they had at times during the playoffs, led in shots 10-7 after 20 minutes.
