Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 31: New York Rangers score three unanswered to take Game 2

The last time the Tampa Bay Lightning lost two consecutive games in the playoffs, they lost four straight to the Columbus Blue Jackets as they were swept in the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs (a losing streak that actually went to six games due to losing the last two games of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals to the Washington Capitals).

That changed after a Game 2 loss to the New York Rangers, and the Lightning now find themselves down 2-0 in the series, despite a significant improvement from their performance in Game 1.

All the rust the Bolts experienced in Game 1 was gone in Game 2, as they came flying out of the gate, drew an early penalty, and got an early goal courtesy of Nikita Kucherov.

But the Rangers responded quickly, as K’Andre Miller scored just over three minutes later to tie it at one. They kept that momentum going throughout the first, and Kaapo Kakko tipped the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead.

After a scoreless period, the Bolts needed a response. Unfortunately, while Kucherov gave them the lead early in the first, he burned them early in the third with a brutal turnover that the Rangers immediately capitalized on with a goal from Mika Zibanejad.

After that, it seemed like the time was going to fade away and the 3-1 score would hold, but the Lightning started pressuring as the period went along. They were rewarded for their pressure with just over two minutes left, as Nick Paul scored to cut the lead in half.

But that was all the Bolts could get past Igor Shesterkin. He shut the door in the final two minutes, and the Rangers get the 3-2 win, and the 2-0 series lead as both teams head to Tampa Bay.