Derick Brassard finished with five points as New York kept their perfect record alive when facing elimination with a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning to force Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Brassard scored a hat-trick and added two assists for the Rangers, who faced their fourth elimination game this postseason and once again conquered the challenge to even the series at 3-3.
New York seized control with a three-goal surge early in the third period of Tuesday’s contest in front of a crowd of 19,200 at the Amalie Arena.
Photo: AFP
J.T. Miller and Rick Nash each had a goal and three assists, while James Sheppard and Keith Yandle also scored for top-seeded New York, who are aiming to get back to the Stanley Cup Final after losing in five games to the Los Angeles Kings in June last year.
Canada’s Brassard is a rare role players — like former Edmonton Oiler Esa Tikkanen — who is able to raise his level of play and become a key goal scorer in the postseason. Brassard has never scored 20 goals in the regular season, but in 53 career playoff games he has 17.
The Rangers line of Brassard, Miller and Nash combined for five goals in a dominating evening.
Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist improved to 15-3 all-time in elimination games as he stopped 36 shots for New York.
New York have won 14 of the last 17 playoff games in which they have faced elimination, dating back to a 2012 series against the Ottawa Senators. The Rangers have won eight of nine playoff games when facing elimination since the start of last season’s playoffs.
New York made it 3-1 3 minutes, 2 seconds into the third period off a two-on-one break that saw the initial two shots stopped. Brassard then collected his own rebound behind the net and got it out front to Miller, who banked it in off Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop.
Just under three minutes later, New York went up 4-1 after Dominic Moore blasted it on net from the slot before Sheppard banged it in.
Brassard then made it a 5-1 at 7 minutes, 14 seconds when he wristed a shot from the right faceoff circle.
Nikita Kucherov scored twice and Ryan Callahan had the other goal for the Lightning, who are looking to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning it 11 years ago.
Bishop surrendered five goals on 26 shots, while Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up one goal on seven shots in relief.
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