Tampa Bay Lightning Crumble In 5-1 Game 4 Loss

1. 23. Final. 5. 95

The Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to fall apart at the seams in a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to outplay the New York Rangers all night long, but when the final buzzer sounded it was the New York Rangers who would put the screws to the Lightning, winning 5-1 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had to some really good chances early in the game. The one that sticks out the most is one where Nikita Kucherov was set up perfectly in front of the net. Unfortunately, an unbalanced puck caused Kucherov to shoot just wide of the net.

The Lightning would get the first crack at the Power Play tonight as Martin St. Louis was sent to the box for 2 minutes for Interference against Cedric Paquette. The Lightning would put some good pressure on Henrik Lundqvist during the Power Play, but the Rangers would kill the penalty.

One of the best attempts on Lundqvist during the Power Play was a beauty of a setup by Tyler Johnson, but the blasted goal post would get in between Johnson and the back of the net. We don’t know about you, but the cling of the goal post is the bane of our existence.

It would take 17:18, but it would ultimately be the New York Rangers who strike first blood tonight. After having the puck stripped in the neutral zone, the Rock Nash and Kevin Hayes would work the puck into the Lightning zone. Nash cut in front of Bishop and shot to the far side; the puck slid just past Bishop’s blocker.

Despite both side having an opportunity on the man advantage in the first period, this has been a very low shooting period between two teams who are really looking for a win tonight. The Tampa Bay Lightning seemingly outplayed the Rangers in the first period, going 7-6 in shots on goal and 7-4 in the faceoff circle.

While it is not due to a lack of effort, the New York Rangers were the only team to find the back of the net in the first period of play. The good news is that there was plenty of hockey left to play and there was no reason to slam or hands to the panic button just yet.

The Tampa Bay Lightning got the first crack at the Power Play in the second period, but you would almost think it was the Rangers on the PP. Rick Nash made a spectacular run at the net while shorthanded. Thankfully, Bishop was able to put a stop to that.

Killorn would make a similar run at Lundqvist, but the result was the same; Lundqvist would deny Killorn.

The Lightning did make a killer effort in the final moments of the Power Play. Both Nikita Nesterov and Tyler Johnson would take their shot at Lundqvist would turn both of them away. Just like that, New York killed the penalty and returned to full strength.

One observation we’ve made at this point in the game is that the Rangers defense has seemingly woken up. They have realized that if they want to come out of this game with a win, they are going to have to find a way to neutralize the speed of the Triplets. With all the extra coverage they have been applying, they have done just that so far.

It would also seem as if we are starting to see glimmers of the Ryan Callahan we have come to know and love as he continue to heal from the emergency appendectomy he underwent just 11 days ago. Callahan took a really solid shot at the net, but it just wasn’t enough to break through Lundqvist’s defense.

So…back to the game. There would be a hell of a collision in front of the Rangers net that would send Ondrej Palat flying. There are honestly no polite words that accurately describe the words that flew out of our mouth on that one, but that is another story for another day.

On the bright side, the Tampa Bay Lightning would not be denied. This time it was the newly coined “Twins” that would strike first for the Lightning. The Bolts first goal of the night would come at the hands of Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos with assists from Alex Killorn and Valtteri Filppula.

Unfortunately, the Lightning’s lead wouldn’t last as long as they would have hoped. After Brenden Morrow gave away the puck, the Rangers would put pressure on the Lightning net. It wouldn’t be long until Rangers left wing Chris Kreider would make his way past Bishop and into the back of the net.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more disheartening, well…it happened something like this. Keith Yandle would take a shot at the net that initially looked as if it was going to fly well wide of the net. Unfortunately, the puck ricochets off of Victor Hedman and right past Bishop and into the back of the net.

Yandle’s goal, which was his first of the post season, would give the New York Rangers a 3-1 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning with just under three minutes to play in the second period.

Once again, the Tampa Bay Lightning seemingly outplayed the New York Rangers as they outshot them 26-13 through two periods. In order to put this into proper perspective for you, the Lightning outshot the Rangers 19-6 in the second period. The faceoff circle is much of the same, with the Lightning going 20-12.

As you can imagine, this was getting pretty frustrating for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They seem to be outplaying the Rangers so very hard, but yet the Rangers are leading where it counts; the scoreboard. There is no denying that Henrik Lundqvist is the driving force keeping the Rangers in the game.

The Tampa Bay Lightning would make their first misstep early in the third period. Nikita Nesterov would make his way to the box early for high sticking on Martin St. Louis. Unfortunately for the Lightning, St. Louis would have his revenge in the worst way possible; the score sheet.

Martin St. Louis would sink the puck past Bishop while on the Power Play and score his first goal of the 2014-15 Stanley Cup Playoffs giving the New York Rangers a 4-1 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, the Lightning got a little bit of a scare. After a collision on the ice, Tyler Johnson was a little slow to get up and was seen limping to the Lightning bench. Thankfully, Johnson remained on the bench and did not seem to be seriously injured. Thank goodness for small favors. (No pun intended.)

The Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to be shooting themselves in the foot tonight when it comes to the Penalty Kill. Just after the halfway point in the third period, Brenden Morrow would take a trip to the box for Hooking on Rick Nash. This would open the door for Nash to sink the puck past Bishop and score his fourth goal of the post season, extending the Rangers lead to 5-1.

It was apparent that frustration had fully set in before the final buzzer sounded. In the final minutes of the game, the penalties would continue to fly in for both teams. Both teams have their reasons to fight, but at the end of the day it is the one who has the greater number on the scoreboard that brings home the victory.

When the final buzzer would sound, the Lightning would head back to New York on the wings of a 5-1 loss in Game 4. Much like the Rangers did over the course of the last 2 games, the Lightning will need to find their footing if they want to get back in this series.

Tonight’s loss comes down to two very important factors. The Tampa Bay Lightning had what one would refer to as a defensive breakdown. There were entirely too many turnovers in just the right (or wrong depending on how you look at it) places that resulted in scoring opportunities for the Rangers.

Also, the Lightning special teams had a particularly bad showing in Game 4. The Tampa Bay Lightning went zero for four on the Power Play, while the New York Rangers were able to capitalize on two of their three opportunities. If the Lightning wants to bring home a win on Sunday night in New York, they are going to have to tighten up in these two areas.

After having two particularly bad games, we knew that Henrik Lundqvist would be coming back with a purpose in Game 4, of which he most certainly did. The Tampa Bay Lightning is going to have to find a way to solve this issue if they want to bring home the victory in NYC.

Now, the Tampa Bay Lightning will head back to New York to do it all over again on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. The series is still very much anyone’s to win, but if the Lightning want to get back on top they are going to have to put this loss behind them and focus on the next task at hand; bringing home a win in Game 5.

What do you think the Tampa Bay Lightning need to refine in order to bring home a win in Game 5? Who do you think really needs to step up to bring new life to the Lightning lineup? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Next: Steve Yzerman Named Finalist for GM Of The Year

More from Bolts by the Bay

Home/Lightning News