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New York Rangers’ Season On The Brink Yet Again In 2015 NHL Playoffs

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Rangers lose

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Rangers had a chance to really take control of their series with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. They were home after a momentum-swinging win against the Lightning two days prior. In that win, they beat their opponents by four goals, including goals from struggling superstars Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis. What a difference two days can make.

The Rangers were shut out at home for the first time all postseason. They were unable to get to Lightning goalie Ben Bishop, despite many chances to do so. There were a few chances in front by St. Louis and J.T. Miller, but they were stonewalled. The defense was even assisting in the shutout, blocking 24 shots on the night. Nothing went well for the Rangers.

Now the Lightning go back to the Amalie Arena with the possibility of closing this series out at home. The momentum has swung with one performance, and Tampa Bay fans will be extremely excited to have a chance to go to their second ever Stanley Cup Finals.

The Rangers have been in this situation before. In their last series, they were down 3-1 to the Washington Capitals, yet they were able to win three straight elimination games to get to this point. Now, they are back in that position once again.

We all know that they have the right goalie in place to win in these situations. Henrik Lundqvist has ice water in his veins when it comes to elimination games. Since 2012, Lundqvist is 14-3 in elimination games, which is ridiculous. He has a winning percentage of 82 when his team needs him the most. So while the Rangers have put themselves in a terrible position, there is hope.

The problem with the Rangers is scoring. Lundqvist could stop every shot, but if his team can’t score on the other side he still won’t win. The Lightning have been carried by their superstar Steven Stamkos, who has scored in four straight games, but no one is carrying the Rangers. Chris Kreider leads the team in goals, but he isn’t the man you’d expect to be in this position. You expect to see St. Louis and Nash to be the go-to guys when the team needs a goal.

The Rangers’ season isn’t over, but one mistake could end it. They have no room for error, but Rangers coach Alain Vigneault knows how to coach in these situations. He knows that this is still a series his team can win. They want to finish the job they couldn’t last season, but they need to win these next two games first.

Nick Villano is the NHL feature writer for Rant Sports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.

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