The New York Rangers are just three wins away from returning to the Stanley Cup Finals after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Both defenses had strong performances as there were no goals scored in the first period, but the Rangers scored the first goal after center Derek Stepan hit the puck in with 13 seconds left in the second period.
In the third period, both offenses began to wake up as the Lightning tied it approximately seven minutes in with a goal from left wing Ondrej Palat.
This was to no avail though as center Dominic Moore made his first goal of the 2015 playoffs, and he made it count as it was made with 2:25 left and proved to be the game winner.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist continued to play like one of the NHL’s best goalies as he made 23 saves for a 95.8 save percentage.
Lightning goalie Ben Bishop had a solid performance of his own with 28 saves for a 93.3 save percentage.
The Lightning’s high-octane offense that ranked atop the NHL in the regular season was shut down by Lundqvist though, and center Steven Stamkos was held without a goal after scoring three in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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