The New York Rangers acquired Martin St. Louis from the Tampa Bay Lightning for Ryan Callahan, a first-round pick and a conditional second-round pick prior to the 2014 NHL Trade Deadline. That much-ballyhooed blockbuster will be one of the main storylines this series, especially if Callahan suits up — his return is up in the air following an emergency appendectomy he underwent Monday. In addition to these two veterans, Anton Stralman and Boyles Brian and Dan will face their former teams.
After faltering early against the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round, Ben Bishop and the Lightning found their rhythm against the Montreal Canadiens and aim to carry that momentum into the Eastern Conference final. The last time the Lightning advanced to the conference finals was in 2011 when they lost in seven games to the eventual Cup champion Boston Bruins.
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Lightning fans should feel confident heading into this series because they swept the season series against the Blue Shirts. Stamkos absolutely lit up the the Rangers this season with two goals, five assists in three games during the regular season, but he definitely isn’t Jon Cooper’s only weapon to rely on.
There’s nothing more nerve-wracking or enthralling than a Game 7 that goes into overtime, so the Rangers will have to compose themselves and hit the reset button. Despite their struggles against the Lightning this season, the longer this series goes the more you’d have to give the advantage to New York. And if it goes the distance, Henrik Lundqvist is now 6-0 in Game 7s. Keep in mind, though, that Lundqvist allowed 14 goals in three appearances against Tampa this season.
Here’s how these two teams match up:
NEW YORK RANGERS: 53-22-7. 1ST in Eastern Conference
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: 50-24-8. 3rd in Eastern Conference
Head-to-head
Lightning: 3-0-0
Rangers: 0-3-0
Last game played head-to-head: Dec.1, 2014. It was a 6-3 win for the Lightning in a game that saw both Tyler Johnson and Victor Hedman register three points.
LEADING PLAYOFF SCORERS
Lightning: Tyler Johnson (12 pts), Nikita Kucherov (11), Steven Stamkos (10)
Rangers: Derick Brassard (8 pts), Derek Stepan (8), Rick Nash (7)
ADVANCED STATS (regular season)
Lightning: 5on5CF% – 53.3; 5on5Sv% – .919; 5on5Sh% – 9.03; PDO = 101.0
Rangers: 5on5CF% – 49.6; 5on5Sv% – .931; 5on5Sh% – 8.97; PDO = 102.1
(via stats.hockeyanalysis.com)
SECOND ROUND RESULT
Lightning: Beat the Canadiens 4-2.
Rangers: Beat the Capitals 4-3
LAST TIME THEY MET IN THE PLAYOFFS:
The Lightning and Rangers have never met in the post-season.
LIGHTNING’S HIGHLIGHT OF THE PLAYOFFS
Steven Stamkos only had one goal in Tampa’s first 11 playoff games, but the Lightning captain came through when it counted most. In Game 6 against the Habs, Stamkos wired one by Carey Price to put his team up 2-0 and they never looked back.
RANGERS’ HIGHLIGHT OF THE PLAYOFFS
Derek Stepan. Game 7. Overtime. It doesn’t get better than that.
KEY INJURIES
Lightning: Ryan Callahan (day-to-day, appendicitis)
Rangers: Mats Zuccarello (out indefinitely, upper-body)
