2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round Three Open Thread- June 5, 2022

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs NEW YORK RANGERS- 12:00PM PST (Rangers lead 2-0)

It’s sure starting to look as though the New York Rangers have done what other teams haven’t over the past couple years: solving how to beat Andrei Vasilevskiy. They’ve exploited his blocker side repeatedly in the first two games of this series, as well as using creative passing and breakouts to take a commanding 2-0 lead in this series.

Let’s not kid ourselves, though. It’s very likely that this series could head back to New York later this week tied at two games a piece. The fact that the Rangers were the first team to win back to back games against the Lightning thorough their run over the past three playoffs is cause for concern if you’re a Tampa fan.

With solid play from Igor Shesterkin, and balanced scoring (including some fantastic play from their kid line), the Rangers roll into Tampa confident they can at least come away with a split. The Lightning look in real trouble for the first time, and the Rangers seem destined to be making their first Finals appearance since 2014.