Lightning 2, Rangers 1
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning were short-handed all night Thursday, so it was almost fitting that the winning goal with 1:05 left would come short-handed, as center Valtteri Filppula scored to beat the New York Rangers 2-1 at Amalie Arena.
The Lightning (9-9-3) took a 1-0 lead in the first period and carried it until late in the third, when a turnover deep in their own zone set up a goal by center Dominic Moore, who tied the game on his second goal of the season. Defenseman Anton Stralman lost the puck as he tried to clear it, and Moore beat Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop just as he'd returned to the net with 6:17 remaining.
An interference penalty with 1:26 left gave the Rangers (14-3-2) a power play, but a turnover set up right wing J.T. Brown, who took the 2-on-1 and fed Filppula for the winning goal. Bishop got the win with 20 saves, and the Tampa Bay defense held the Rangers to a season-low 21 shots.
Tampa Bay got a first-period goal from center Alex Killorn and its defense carried things the rest of the way, with Bishop facing only 14 shots in the first two periods. The Lightning played without five forwards, including former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan, who were sidelined with injuries.
New York (14-3-2) hadn't taken a regulation loss in the last 13 games and had just one on the road all season. Before the tying goal, the Rangers' best opportunity came early in the third period, when left wing Chris Kreider was slowed on a breakaway and a penalty shot was awarded. But Bishop made a pad save on a low shot by Kreider to preserve the 1-0 lead.
The Lightning stay home for their next two games, with the Anaheim Ducks coming in on Saturday, while the Rangers stay in Florida with a game at the Panthers on Saturday before returning home.
The Lightning controlled the game with their defense, holding the Rangers to 14 shots in the first two periods and getting Bishop to stop all 14.
Tampa Bay jumped ahead late in the first period when the Rangers failed to clear a loose puck, with Filppula keeping the puck in the zone and passing to Killorn, who fired a shot past goalie Henrik Lundqvist for a 1-0 lead with 5:13 remaining. The goal was Killorn's third of the season.
The two teams played a defensive game, careful even to avoid penalties, with each managing only a single power play in the first two periods. The Lightning led after the first for only the second time in 21 games this season, and played well with the lead, outshooting the Rangers 17-14 entering the third period.
NOTES: The Lightning played short-handed from the start, with five forwards out with injuries -- LW Ondrej Palat (lower body), C Tyler Johnson (upper), RW Ryan Callahan (lower), C Cedric Paquette (upper) and LW Jonathan Drouin (undisclosed). Rookie RW Joel Vermin made his NHL debut, and another recent call-up, D Luke Witkowski, was active to make his season debut. ... Callahan's injury kept him from facing the team he captained before being traded to the Lightning in spring 2014. ... The Rangers had two healthy scratches in D Dylan McIlrath and RW Emerson Etem.