Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers series preview
BRANDON, Fla. -- In their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2011, the Tampa Bay Lightning will confront a large face from their past.
In their last hurdle before the Stanley Cup Final, the Lightning will try to extend their season with new stars.
In their ongoing journey to evolve into an NHL power, the Lightning will meet a team that has reached the level where they want to go.
After scrapping against the Detroit Red Wings and surviving against the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay appears tested enough to handle the hurdle ahead, one that will include a matchup against the New York Rangers and intriguing reunions with Marty St. Louis returning to Tampa and Brian Boyle, Anton Stralman and Ryan Callahan skating once more in the city that never sleeps.
Bring it on. All of it.
"It's going to be fun to play back up there, and I've played a lot of playoff games in that building," Boyle said Thursday. "But it will be a new experience playing on the other side, because as the playoffs go, that building gets louder. ... It will be exciting. I'm looking forward to it."
If the ride to this point in these Stanley Cup Playoffs serves as a reliable guide, then strap in for another demolition derby. The Lightning have lived it all in the first two rounds, with them serving as comeback artists against the Red Wings before morphing into frontrunner bullies against the Canadiens. They've shown resilience. They've displayed versatility.
More will be needed. New York and Tampa Bay met three times in the regular season, but you're forgiven if you recall little from the meetings. All the games happened in a breakneck stretch from Nov. 17-Dec. 1, with the Lightning outscoring the Rangers a combined 15-7 in three victories.
New time, new teams, different stakes. Still, feel free to indulge in the delicious storylines, the Rangers' big-market draw and the curiosity about if the Lightning can take another step toward making their season historic. With two series victories in this postseason, it feels like the current campaign should be labeled a success no matter what happens from here. They've come far.
But if Tampa Bay can keep this season's heartbeat alive past this round, if the ride continues into the Stanley Cup Final, more memories await. Perhaps a title, too.
"They're definitely the favorite, I think so," Stralman said of the Rangers on Thursday. "I think they deserve to be, with the Presidents' Trophy and all that. But it's what we do to prepare for this coming series."
Still, the "favorite" label doesn't matter now. The Rangers and Lightning are practically equals. Both teams have earned the chance to advance to this stage. Both should be inspired.
"These guys are all friends off the ice, but they're competitors on the ice," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Thursday. "But this isn't the first show. We've played in New York already. New York's played here."
The storylines will receive buzz in both Tampa Bay and the Big Apple.
But what happens when the narrative is advanced will mean more.
SEASON SERIES
Nov. 17 at New York: Lightning 5, Rangers 1
Callahan had two goals, and Steven Stamkos added another score with one assist in Tampa Bay's rout. The Lightning scored two goals each in the first and second periods to open a 4-1 lead by the start of the third. Ben Bishop faced 16 shots.
Nov. 26 at Tampa Bay: Lightning 4, Rangers 3
St. Louis made his return to Tampa, but Callahan stole the buzz with two goals and one assist. Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov also added goals in the victory. Tampa Bay outshot New York 29-19, and the Lightning won 34 faceoffs compared to the Rangers' 23.
Dec. 1 at New York: Lightning 6, Rangers 3
Tyler Johnson and Brett Connolly, now with the Boston Bruins, had two goals each to allow Tampa Bay to rout New York and complete a sweep of the season series. The Lightning scored three times in the third period to break the game wide open. Bishop made 32 saves.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
3: Goals for Stamkos in the series against Montreal. He had zero against Detroit in the first round.
5: Points earned by Callahan against the Rangers this season. The total includes three goals. The five points match a season-high against a single opponent, tying his amount earned against the Florida Panthers.
2011: Year of Tampa Bay's most recent appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals. That time, the Lightning lost to the Bruins in seven games.
X FACTORS
1. Will the Lightning overcome the Rangers' home-ice advantage?
Tampa Bay showed its road prowess by stealing the home-ice edge against Montreal in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Victories in Games 1 and 2 at the Bell Centre were large for the Lightning's confidence, and that success before a frothing crowd gave them breathing room when the Canadiens rallied with wins in Games 4 and 5. Tampa Bay must do the same at Madison Square Garden, where New York is 5-2 in the postseason.
2. Will the Rangers feel exhausted after their physical, seven-game series against the Washington Capitals?
New York survived to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four years, but the Rangers lived a rough series against the Capitals to do so. Who knows how much physical and emotional energy was spent in rallying from a 3-1 series deficit against Washington? New York won three times by one goal each in the span, a run that included two overtime victories. Tampa Bay may have an opening early in this series to pounce.
3. Will St. Louis be greeted with venom in Games 3 and 4 at Amalie Arena?
Ah, the former captain returns to Tampa. St. Louis has already come back once before, of course, when the Lightning won 4-3 on Nov. 26 at Amalie Arena. But the urgency will be much higher this time, so expect Tampa Bay's crowd to save a special greeting for the former franchise face. This far removed from St. Louis' departure in March 2014, the Lightning feel like a different team than when the veteran carried Tampa Bay during Stamkos' rehab from a broken right tibia. Still, some can't wait to "welcome" St. Louis back to a place where he was once loved.
THE LIGHTNING WILL ADVANCE IF ...
1. They remain aggressive.
Tampa Bay kept its foot on the gas pedal in all three meetings with New York in the regular season. It will take a similar effort to advance past this series. Frankly, the Lightning haven't put together many complete games in the postseason. Imagine what Tampa Bay can be if it produces well-rounded efforts.
2. They continue to enjoy success on the road.
Go figure: The NHL's best regular-season home team has found comfort away from its building in the postseason. The Lightning went 2-1 on the road against both Detroit and Montreal. That trend bodes well for their chances to overcome the Rangers' home-ice advantage to begin the series. Madison Square Garden will be rocking, but if the Lightning can survive the Bell Centre, then no stage should be too large for them.
3. They ride Bishop.
Remember when some wondered whether Bishop could handle the postseason spotlight? After a shaky start against the Detroit, Tampa Bay's goaltender has risen to the occasion throughout key moments in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. He's 8-5 with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage in the postseason. The Lightning wouldn't be here without him.
FINAL THOUGHT
There are many juicy storylines entering this series. But eventually, all the shared histories will become static when the puck drops in Game 1. It seems appropriate that the Lightning must face a proven winner like the Rangers in the last test before the Stanley Cup Final. Tampa Bay should feel prepared. After all, the Lightning rallied to beat Detroit and closed the series against Montreal after racing to a 3-0 lead. This should be a tight, grueling and competitive series, one that should extend to at least six games. Sit back and enjoy the sights.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
