What really went wrong for the New York Rangers in Game 3

 

On June 5, 2022, the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning faced off in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the game tied 1-1 in the third period, Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba and Lightning right wing Corey Perry got tangled up as they battled for position in front of the net. As they fell to the ice, Perry's skate caught Trouba in the face, causing a gash that required four stitches to close. Despite the injury, Trouba stayed in the game and helped the Rangers kill off a Tampa Bay power play. He also scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period, giving New York a 2-1 victory and a berth in the Stanley Cup Final. Thanks to Trouba's heroics, the Rangers are one step closer to their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

By the end of the game, it was clear that the New York Rangers were outmatched. The Tampa Bay Lightning had taken 52 shots to the Rangers' 30, and they finally converted on a power play at the 10:50 mark in the second period. The Blueshirts fought hard, but they couldn't keep up with the Lightning's speed and skilled play. Yet despite being outplayed for most of the game, the Rangers were just 41.6 seconds away from winning in overtime. Ondrej Palat's backhand goal off a feed from Kucherov was an incredible display of skill, and it brought Tampa back into the series. The Lightning will look to build on this momentum in Game 4, while the Rangers will need to regroup and find a way to close out the series.

Gerard Gallant's post-game comments indicate that he believes the Rangers lost because they were simply outplayed by the other team. This is a fair assessment; the Rangers were beaten in many key statistical categories, including shots on goal, faceoff percentage, and penalty kill percentage. Additionally, the other team had more scoring chances and generated more offense overall. In short, the Rangers were simply outplayed on this night. However, there are some positives that the Rangers can take away from this game. For example, they did have a late scoring chance to win the game, which shows that they were still in it till the end. Additionally, despite being outplayed for much of the game, the Rangers only lost by one goal. With a few adjustments, they can surely turn things around and get back on track.