The Eastern Conference Final has been an entertaining series thus far, but now it'll be even more exciting when the puck drops on Game 7.
The New York Rangers took a 1-0 series lead before the Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back contests to tilt the series in their favor 2-1. After the Blueshirts knotted it up at 2-2, the Bolts went ahead 3-2. The Rangers then responded on the road with their backs against the wall in Game 6, forcing a do-or-die Game 7.
The Rangers are looking to go to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year after making it there last postseason for the first time since 1994 while the Lightning will hope to get to the final round for the first time since hoisting the greatest trophy in sports in 2004.
Before the lights come up at Madison Square Garden in New York City, here are seven things to watch for as the Rangers and Lightning go the distance with a chance to clinch a berth to the Stanley Cup Final.
1) 7th Heaven: The Rangers are putting quite a streak on the line as the club has never lost a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden and has a 7-0 mark in that building all-time in the decisive contest. New York is also 4-0 in Game 7s at MSG since 2012. Adding to the mystique, the Blueshirts are 10-0 in their last 10 elimination games at home.
The Lightning, meanwhile is 6-1 all-time in the win-or-go-home game, including the 2004 Eastern Conference Final and Stanley Cup Final series'.
Both these teams won a Game 7 already this postseason, with Tampa Bay topping the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 in Round 1 and New York overcoming the Washington Capitals 2-1 in overtime in Round 2.
2) Surging Bolts: There is no shortage of firepower on the Lighting's side, especially with the Triplets Line of Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Johnson leads the team and the playoffs in goals (12) and points (20) this postseason while Kucherov (9-10--19) and Palat (6-8--14) have also been a force. Steven Stamkos started the playoffs in a scoring funk, but has broken out of it in spades to the tune of seven goals and 17 points. Seven different Tampa Bay forwards have 10 or more points this spring.
3) Broadway Blueline: The Rangers defense will need to step up to stave off the potent offense of the Lightning. Ryan McDonagh (23:50) and Dan Girardi (21:47) have led New York in average time on ice and will need to continue to anchor the blueline in order to keep the Bolts' offense at bay. Puck-moving Keith Yandle has come into his own in these playoffs after being acquired late this season, leading the Rangers with nine assists and all New York defenseman with 11 points. Kevin Klein will look to clean up some of his turnovers while Marc Staal will hope to improve on a minus-7 rating.
4) Home-ice Disadvantage?: While New York boasts an amazing Game 7 streak on home ice, this series has tilted in the favor of the road team more times than not. The Rangers have dropped two of the three games on MSG ice thus far this series while home teams have only won twice out of the first six tilts. New York set a franchise record with an NHL-best 28 road wins this season while it was victorious 25 times on home ice. The Lightning was 18-6-7 on the road in the regular season.
5) Getting It Done: Derick Brassard has been a force for the Rangers this postseason and he notched his first career hat trick in the team's Game 6 victory. Brassard leads New York with nine goals, 16 points and a plus-nine rating this postseason. Brassard's linemate Rick Nash has perrenially struggled in the playoffs -- playing a great game but failing to find the back of the net -- but he has come to life in this series after scoring just two goals in 12 playoff games entering it.
Nash found the twine twice in Game 4 and scored again in Game 6. Nash is now second on the team with 14 points this season. Chris Kreider leads the Rangers with seven goals this spring while Derek Stepan -- who scored the overtime winner against Washington in Game 7 -- is 5-7--12 in these playoffs.
6) Familiar Faces: There are plenty of players who will suit up for one team in Game 7 that have plenty of experience playing for the other. Martin St. Louis was the captain of the Lightning for 13 years, but he'll suit up for the home team while former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan will dress as a visitor. Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman and forward Brian Boyle went to the Cup Final with the Rangers last season while New York forward Dominic Moore took a trip with Tampa Bay to the Eastern Conference Final in 2011 and Boyle was part of the 2004 Stanley Cup team.
7) The King vs. The Bishop: It has been an up-and-down series for Ben Bishop here in his first career trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs while Henrik Lundqvist has also had a mixed bag of starts in the blue paint. Lundqvist allowed just one goal in Game 1 to secure a win, while he then yielded six goals in back-to-back matches for the first time in his playoff career in Games 2 and 3, including a soft Kucherov overtime-winning tally in the third contest.
Bishop has allowed five goals in three of the six games, including in a win in Game 3 and losses in Game 4 and then Game 6 when his team had a chance to clinch. Bishop yielded two goals in Games 1 and 2 and shut the Rangers out at MSG in Game 6.
Lundqvist is 6-1 with an NHL-record 0.97 goals-against average and .966 save percentage in Game 7s and set another NHL benchmark by winning six straight do-or-die games while Bishop blanked the Red Wings in his first ever Game 7 two rounds ago.
Lundqvist is 11-7 with a 2.11 GAA and a .928 save percentage this postseason while Bishop is 11-8 with a 2.26 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
Both teams look to advance to the Stanley Cup Final but only one will when the Lightning and Rangers take the ice for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final live Friday night from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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