On the heels of a 6-2 statement victory to open the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rangers are back in action tonight for Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After losing the opening game of each of their previous two series, Gerard Gallant’s squad did well for themselves by jumping out to a 1-0 series lead against the back to back defending champions.

For the Blueshirts to extend that lead to 2-0, they’ll need to overcome some history very much not on their side. The Lightning have bounced back from losses by winning the following playoff game 17 consecutive times, their most recent back to back losses being their four game sweep at the hands of Columbus in 2019.

The Rangers historically haven’t fared well in Game 2’s when up 1-0 in the series. Dating back to 2012, New York is 1-8 in those games, one of those losses being Game 2 of the 2015 Conference Finals against the Lightning. Some trend reversing will be in order for the Blueshirts to hold serve on home ice.

Player to Watch: Filip Chytil

Chytil began this playoff run with some questioning whether or not his spot in the lineup was locked in, and the 22 year old Czech has silenced any and all doubters as of late. After scoring twice in the first 12 games of the playoffs, Chytil has found the back of the net five times over the last three games. With the third line of himself, Kaapo Kakko, and Alexis Lafreniere firing on all cylinders as of late, look for another strong performance out of them tonight.

Enjoy the game!