Tampa Bay Lightning Find Consistency, Down The New York Rangers

The Tampa Bay Lightning played one of the most complete games they’ve played all season long and defeat the New York Rangers.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were battered and nearly broken heading into the Amalie Arena last night to face off with one of the toughest challenges they may very well face all season long. Despite all the adversity, fans and players alike charged into the Amalie Arena with their heads held high, and the Tampa Bay Lightning found the one thing they have been desperately in need of this season, consistency.

The Lightning set the pace early in the game. While it may have taken almost 15 minutes for someone to find the back of the net, when the moment finally came, everyone in attendance at the Amalie Arena rose to their feet and cheered at the top of their lungs.

There were just over five minutes left in the first period and the Tampa Bay Lightning had the puck in the Rangers’ zone. After a slight miscue at the blue line by Andrej Sustr, the puck sailed behind the net and onto the stick of Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle. Yandle fired the puck forward where it found the stick of Tampa Bay Lightning center Valtteri Filppula.

Filppula was able to keep the puck in the zone and pass the puck off to Lightning center Alex Killorn. Then…it happened. Killorn raced right up the middle with both Yandle and Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein breathing down his neck. With no hesitation, Killorn drew back his stick and fired off a shot that would sail past Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist on the glove side and into the back of the net.

In the first period, the Tampa Bay Lightning would outshoot the New York Rangers 10-7, but the second period would be a much different story. It almost seemed as if the Rangers realized they were heading for another defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning and decided to kick things into high gear. In the second period, both teams would leave the ice tied in Shots on Goal at seven apiece.

The opening minutes of the third period would be much like the second period. Both the Lightning and the Rangers battled for every inch of the ice they could get, but neither team was able to find the back of the net. As the minutes continued to tick off the clock, Lightning fans began to settle in with the notion their team had this one in the bag. Then…it happened.

Ben Bishop was playing the puck behind the Tampa Bay Lightning net when he handed it off to Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman. Stralman attempted to play the puck when it was sniped away by former Tampa Bay Lightning center Dominic Moore. Moore takes the puck, swings around, and sends the puck flying past Bishop. Unfortunately, Bishop never had a chance to see it coming.

The scariest part of this whole thing is this was not even the most heart-stopping moment of the game. These two teams, which battled last season for the Eastern Conference Championship, were tied at one apiece. Considering the way these two titans were battling, fans were almost certain this baby was headed to overtime. All of a sudden, it was almost like Dikembe Mutombo hopped out of his GEICO commercial and onto the ice.

The Tampa Bay Lightning found themselves in a very familiar position. With less than two minutes left on the clock, the Lightning found themselves a man down, giving the Rangers the last minute advantage. In what was a weak call at best, Brian Boyle found himself headed to the penalty box for Interference. Then, the most heart-stopping, fan-cheering, hug the person next to you moment of the game happened.

The Rangers were in the Lightning zone, the pressure was on. Rangers alternate captain Derek Steppan passed the puck back to captain Ryan McDonagh. Unfortunately for the Rangers, the puck bounced right off McDonagh’s stick and onto the stick of Valtteri Filppula.

Filppula handed off the puck to J.T. Brown and the two of them went flying down the ice towards the Rangers’ net. As the two of them made their way past the blue line and towards the awaiting Henrik Lundqvist, Brown passed the puck back to Filppula. Without a single second of hesitation, Filppula took the pass and fired it into the back of the net. Lundqvist was visibly displeased with the result.

Tampa Bay Lightning fans would hold their collective breaths as the final seconds ticked off the clock, but in the end, when the buzzer resounded it would be the Tampa Bay Lightning who emerged victorious.

Here are a couple of notes from last night’s rematch with the New York Rangers.

• J.T. Brown continued to impress, not only with his puck handling and shooting ability, but with his feistiness on the ice. It almost seemed as if the Rangers had a mark on his back last night, but Brown wasn’t having any of it and had no qualms telling Rick Nash and Dan Boyle exactly how he felt.
• While the Tampa Bay Lightning had a few miscues during the game, this had to be one of the most complete games the Lightning have played so far this season. They were tight on the defense, the offense was firing on all cylinders, and the goaltending was on point.
• This is a huge moment for the Tampa Bay Lightning. They have built a reputation around overcoming adversity, and last night’s game was a gleaming example of this. Four of the players on the ice were recent call ups from the Syracuse Crunch. These young players stepped into the roles of some of the Lightning’s key players and you would have never known the difference.

Last night’s win over the New York Rangers could very well be the moment the Tampa Bay Lightning have been waiting for. A big win like this one, especially at the Amalie Arena in front of their hometown crowd, could be the catalyst the Lightning need to get back on the right track and start building a solid foundation for another run at the Stanley Cup.

What was your favorite moment of the game? Who do you think was the ultimate standout on the ice? Is this the moment the Tampa Bay Lightning have been waiting for? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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