Steven Stamkos scored two targets and the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning are headed to the Stanley Cup ultimate for the third straight 12 months after beating the New York Rangers 2-1 in Recreation 6 of the Jap Convention finals on Saturday night time.
Stamkos put the Lightning forward for good within the third interval simply 21 seconds after New York’s Frank Vatrano scored on the facility play with the Lightning captain within the penalty field for holding.
Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat assisted on the winner with six and a half minutes left, with the puck deflecting off Stamkos’ knee into the online after Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin stopped the preliminary shot. Stamkos additionally scored on a wrist shot from the highest of the precise circle halfway by way of the second interval.
Andrei Vasilevskiy completed with 20 saves for the Lightning, who received the sequence 4-2 – rattling off 4 straight victories after shedding the primary two video games on the highway – to advance to the Stanley Cup ultimate towards the Colorado Avalanche.
Recreation 1 is Wednesday night time in Denver.
The Lightning are the primary staff to make three consecutive appearances within the Cup Closing since Edmonton did it from 1983-85. They're making an attempt to turn into the primary to win three straight championships because the New York Islanders claimed 4 in a row from 1980-83.
The Rangers, down 3-2 in a sequence for the third straight spherical, had been 5-0 in elimination video games this postseason earlier than Saturday night time.
The one groups to win six or extra elimination video games in a single postseason had been the 1975 New York Islanders (eight), 2014 Los Angeles Kings (seven) and 2003 Minnesota Wild (six).
The Rangers dropped three of the primary 4 video games earlier than successful three straight elimination video games to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins within the opening spherical. They misplaced the primary two on the highway at Carolina earlier than rebounding to oust the Hurricanes in seven video games to succeed in the East ultimate.
It was a very completely different story Saturday night time, with the Lightning limiting New York’s scoring alternatives whereas outshooting the Rangers 31-21.
Vasilevskiy went lengthy stretches with out being examined. He confronted simply seven pictures within the opening interval, six within the second and eight within the third.
Shesterkin, in the meantime, stopped 29 of 31 pictures and made large save after large save to provide New York an opportunity.
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