After a 3-2 loss in which the Rangers attacked them with speed and took advantage of their turnovers, the Lightning find themselves two losses from elimination heading to Game 3 Sunday in Tampa.
Two games into the series that will send the winner to the Stanley Cup Final, we are left with far more questions than answers
Have the Rangers found a weakness in goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy?
The Lightning seemed to find a few answers after pulling Vasilevskiy for an extra attacker over the final four minutes.
The Lightning got an early power play when the Rangers’ Ryan Reaves was penalized for slashing Pat Maroon after the players jostled in the faceoff circle 2 1/2 minutes into the game.
it took the Lightning just 10 seconds to take advantage, as Nikita Kucherov scored on a wrist shot from above the right circle that deflected off Ryan Lindgren’s stick up over Igor Shesterkin’s glove.
Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman had a rough first period, going minus-1 and contributing to another Rangers scoring chance as Tampa Bay fell behind 2-1.
Later, Hedman got caught with his stick out of the passing lane as Adam Fox threaded a pass from the left circle between Hedman and Rutta to Kaapo Kakko at the right post for New York’s second goal.
Hedman also was on the ice for Mika Zibanejad’s game-winner in the third — which resulted from a Nikita Kucherov turnover — to finish at minus-2.
Down a goal, the Lightning appeared on the verge of losing their grip on the game during a second period in which they were outshot 14-10.
The trouble started early, as an Alexis Lafrenière shot hit defenseman Cal Foote in the shoulder, then clanged off the right post.
A Tyler Motte shot got behind Vasilevskiy before a sliding Corey Perry swatted the puck back underneath his goaltender.
Ryan McDonagh later blocked a pass from low in the left circle to break up a 3-on-1 following an Erik Cernak turnover.
Vasilevskiy did stop 25 of the 28 shots he faced and all 14 in the second period, but he gave up way too many second chances and was outplayed by Shesterkin for the second straight game.
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