Rangers 3, Lightning 2
NEW YORK -- Derek Stepan scored twice and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped 39 shots as the New York Rangers overcame a horrendous start to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Chris Kreider completed the comeback from down 2-0 when he scored on a breakaway 4:46 into the third period.
The Rangers have two games remaining -- both at home -- and can still finish as high as second in the Metropolitan Division and as low as the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
Andrej Sustr and Brian Boyle scored for the Lightning, who received 25 saves from goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The loss means the Lightning can finish no higher than second in the Atlantic, as the Florida Panthers clinched the division with their win in Montreal on Tuesday night.
Stepan's career-high 22nd evened the score at 2 at 2:33 of the third period. Just as a power play expired, Stepan played a bounce off the right-wing boards and wired a one-timer from an unfavorable angle that eluded Vasilevskiy as the goalie dropped to the ice.
The Lightning dominated the first period and went to the intermission with a 2-0 lead.
Sustr's fourth goal of the season at 2:42 made it 1-0. He found himself uncovered with the puck in the slot and wristed a shot that squeezed between the blocker and body of Lundqvist.
Boyle doubled the lead with a power-play goal at 6:07. There was a scramble near the crease, and with Lundqvist far from the net, Boyle jammed home his 13th of the season to make it 2-0.
Through 20 minutes, the Lightning held a 21-6 edge in shots.
The Rangers responded in the second and cut the lead in half when Stepan scored on a power play at 16:55. With Kreider screening Vasilevskiy, Stepan snapped a wrist shot from the left circle that found the back of the net to bring the Rangers within 2-1.
Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi was prone on the ice for a couple minutes before being helped to the locker room after a hit by Boyle with a little more than a minute remaining.
NOTES: Lightning D Victor Hedman and RW Ryan Callahan were absent from the lineup. Hedman is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, while Callahan is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. ... Rangers D Ryan McDonagh will miss the remainder of the regular season with a right hand injury. He could be back for the playoffs, but the team is listing him as out indefinitely. D Brady Skjei was promoted from AHL Hartford of the AHL to take McDonagh's place on the roster. ... Rangers LW Oscar Lindberg returned to the lineup after missing 10 consecutive games as a healthy scratch. He replaced LW/C Kevin Hayes. ... Rangers D Dylan McIlrath took the spot of D Dan Boyle. McIlrath had not played since March 6.