The Lightning came out of this game with health, which was the most important takeaway.
The contest had no significance in the standings position for either team. The Lightning were locked in as the second seed in the Atlantic Division, and the Rangers had already been eliminated from the playoffs. As a result, this was a low-intensity game that didn’t feature much physicality.
The Lightning had some miscues that ended up hurting them. Sloppy puck play early in the second period yielded a shorthanded goal for Vincent Trocheck. In the third period, the New York line of Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Will Cuylle teamed up for three more goals. Two of those came after the Lightning iced the puck and lost coverage on the ensuing d-zone faceoff.
The Lightning didn’t use their high-minute players as much as they normally do. Anthony Cirelli played a team-low 12:45. Brayden Point only had 12:50. At the other end of the spectrum, Gage Goncalves skated a career-high 21:27 and led all Lightning players in ice time.
The Lightning will use the next several days to get ready for the start of their playoff series against the Panthers.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Igor Shesterkin — Rangers. 27-save shutout
- Mika Zibanejad — Rangers. Two goals and assist.
- Adam Fox — Rangers.
