Preview: Lightning at Rangers

[May 29, 2015]  The New York Rangers have fought off elimination four times in this season's playoffs and can secure a return trip to the Stanley Cup final by doing so again when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. The Rangers erupted for a postseason-high seven goals in Game 6 to bring the Eastern Conference final back to Madison Square Garden, where they are 7-0 all-time in Game 7 matchups.

"Every time we're in an elimination game, that's the way we play," said New York forward Derick Brassard, who recorded a hat trick and amassed five points in Tuesday's 7-3 romp. "We're just going to go out there at home and try to play our best game." Henrik Lundqvist made 36 saves in Game 6 and enters the winner-take-all matchup with a 15-3 record in his last 18 elimination games. The Lightning blanked the Rangers 2-0 at Madison Square Garden in Game 5 but have allowed at least five goals in three of the last four contests. Tampa Bay forward Alex Killorn was unfazed by New York's perfect home mark in Game 7s, saying: "I guess that means they're due to lose one."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING: Tampa Bay did manage to win Games 6 and 7 in its first-round matchup with Detroit, but it needs to find a way to get the "Triplets" line of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov going. Although Kucherov scored twice in Game 6 on a pair of assists by Johnson, the unit has produced six points in the last three contests after dominating the first half of the series by combining for eight goals and eight assists in the first three games. A flu bug that had been affecting the Lightning seems to have subsided, but they need a better outing from Ben Bishop, who allowed a goal on the first shot he faced in Game 6 and eventually was pulled after surrendering five tallies for the third time in four starts.

ABOUT THE RANGERS: Brassard had scored just one goal in his previous eight games before notching his first career hat trick and becoming the third player in franchise history to collect five points in a playoff contest. Rick Nash, a 42-goal scorer during the regular season who drew a ton of criticism after tallying only twice in the first 15 games of the postseason, has come alive with three goals and four assists over the last three contests. Still, the fortunes of the Presidents' Trophy winners likely will hinge on the performance of Lundqvist, who set the tempo in Game 6 with 15 first-period saves and has been victorious in his last six Game 7s while posting a .973 save percentage and microscopic 0.81 goals-against average.

OVERTIME

1. New York has posted 15 victories when facing elimination since 2012 - the most wins in any four-year span in league history.

2. Tampa Bay has won four of its last five at Madison Square Garden - the only loss a 2-1 setback in the series opener.

3. Rangers F J.T. Miller notched four assists in Game 6, matching his total from the previous 17 games of the postseason.

PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Lightning 1

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