Series Notes:

* The Rangers are making their third appearance in the Eastern Conference Final in the past four years and second in as many seasons. The Lightning are making their third such appearance in franchise history (also 2004 and 2011).

* This series features the top home and road teams from the regular season. The Lightning paced the NHL and set club marks with 32 home wins and 65 home points. That included a franchise-record 10-game home winning streak from Dec. 11 – Jan. 31, the longest such run by any club this season. The Rangers led the NHL and set franchise records for road wins (28) and points (58) – only the 2005-06 Red Wings have won more games as visitors in one season (31-7-3).

* Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop owns a perfect 8-0-0 record in eight career appearances vs. NYR (1.49 GAA, .946 SV%, 2 SO). That includes a 5-0-0 mark since he joined Tampa Bay (1.60 GAA, .943 SV%, 1 SO). Meanwhile, Rangers goaltenderHenrik Lundqvist boasts a 17-12-6 record in 35 career appearances vs. TBL (2.41 GAA, .914 SV%, 2 SO).

* Only one player on either roster has faced his opponent in the playoffs: Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn. He posted 0-3—3 in seven games with the Flyers in the 2014 First Round vs. NYR (4-3 L).

* This series includes several familiar faces, headlined by former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan (now w/ TBL) and former Lightning captain Martin St. Louis (now w/ NYR). The two switched teams in a March 5, 2014, trade, whereby Callahan went to Tampa Bay – along with a pair of first-round draft picks – in exchange for St. Louis, who departed as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists (588) and points (953).

* The Rangers list two other former Lightning players on their roster: defenseman Dan Boyle and forward Dominic Moore. The Lightning also have two former Rangers on their squad: forward Brian Boyle and defenseman Anton Stralman, who signed with the team as free agents after helping New York reach the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.

Rangers Notes:

* All 12 games the Rangers have contested this postseason have been decided by one goal. They have played 14 straight such games dating to last year (since Game 4 of the F vs. LAK), the longest such streak in Stanley Cup Playoffs history.

* In the Second Round vs. WSH, the Rangers improved to 9-5 in 14 all-time Game 7s, including a 7-0 record at home (all since 1992). They are the only team in NHL history that has played at least four Game 7s at home and won each contest. The Rangers also improved to 6-0 in their last six Game 7s (dating to the 2012 CQF vs. OTT). Their six consecutive wins in Game 7s are tied for the longest such streak in NHL history, with the Red Wings (1949-64) and Bruins (1983-94).

* Down 3-1 in their series against the Capitals, the Rangers became the first team in NHL history to successfully overcome that deficit in consecutive playoff seasons. They accomplished that feat for the first time in club history in 2014, also doing so in the Second Round (vs. PIT).

* In defeating the Capitals, the Rangers improved to 14-3 in their last 17 games when facing elimination (dating to Game 6 of the 2012 CQF at OTT). They also improved to 10-0 in their last 10 games when facing elimination at home (dating to Game 4 of the 2008 CSF vs. PIT). Their 10-game winning streak in that scenario is the longest in NHL history.

* Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 35 saves in the series-clinching win vs. WSH to improve to 6-1 in seven career Game 7 appearances (0.97 GAA, .966 SV%, 1 SO). His six such victories are tied for first in NHL history among goaltenders, with Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy. Lundqvist also earned his sixth consecutive Game 7 win (dating to the 2012 CQF vs. OTT), extending his NHL record for a goaltender (0.81 GAA, .973 SV%, 1 SO).

* Lundqvist has allowed one or fewer goals in each of his last six Game 7s, another NHL record. His 0.97 career goals-against average in Game 7s is the lowest in NHL history (minimum 3 GP), just ahead of Johnny Bower and Dwayne Roloson (1.00 GAA).

* With the Game 7 victory vs. WSH, Lundqvist improved to 14-3 in the last 17 games in which the Rangers have faced elimination (1.39 GAA, .956 SV%, 2 SO). He also improved to 10-0 in the last 10 games in which the Rangers have faced elimination at home (0.96 GAA, .968 SV%, 2 SO).

* The Rangers dispatched the Penguins in five games during the First Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning each contest by a 2-1 margin (including the last two in OT). It marked the third time that an NHL team won a best-of-seven playoff series with each victory coming by the same score and the third time that an NHL club posted four wins in a postseason series when registering two or fewer goals in each contest.

* During the regular season, the Rangers went 53-22-7 (113 points) to establish franchise records for wins and points, surpassing the previous marks set in 1993-94 when they last won the Stanley Cup (52-24-8 in 84 GP, 112 points).

* The Rangers won their third Presidents’ Trophy in franchise history (also 1991-92 and 1993-94) and finished atop the League standings for the fourth time (also 1941-42). Only one other team has won the Presidents’ Trophy, which was first awarded in 1985-86, at least three times – the Red Wings (6x).

Lightning Notes:

* After being swept by the Canadiens in the First Round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Lightning went 9-2-0 vs. MTL this season (regular season and playoffs) – including a 4-2 series victory in the Second Round. They became the first team to defeat the Canadiens nine or more times in one season (regular season and playoffs) since the 2008-09 Bruins (9-0-1 overall; 5-0-1 in regular season, 4-0 in playoffs).

* Goaltender Ben Bishop manned the pipes in all 11 games vs. MTL this season (regular season and playoffs), compiling a 9-2-0 record with a 1.67 goals-against average, .937 save percentage and one shutout in those contests. He became the first goaltender to defeat the Canadiens nine or more times in one season (regular season and playoffs) since 1960-61, when Blackhawks goaltender Glenn Hall went 9-7-4 vs. MTL (5-5-4 in regular season, 4-2 in playoffs).

* In the First Round vs. DET, the Lightning improved to 4-1 all-time in Game 7s, including a 3-0 record at home. They also improved to 8-6 all-time when facing elimination, including wins in six of their last seven such contests. Forward Tyler Johnson recorded three multi-goal performances (in Games 2, 4 and 6), becoming the first player in franchise history to do so in one postseason series.

* Prior to this year, the Lightning contested 13 all-time playoff series – and in only one of them did a player score six (or more) goals: forward Ruslan Fedotenko in the 2004 Eastern Conference Final vs. PHI (6-1—7 in 7 GP). So far this year, the Lightning have had one such performance in each of their series – by Johnson in the First Round vs. DET (6-1—7 in 7 GP) and forward Nikita Kucherov in the Second Round vs. MTL (6-1—7 in 6 GP).

* In Game 1 at MTL, Kucherov (21 years, 318 days) became the youngest player in Lightning history to register a playoff overtime goal. He then scored the winning goal in Game 2, becoming the first player (on any team) to do so in each of the first two games of a postseason series since Bruins forward David Krejci did so in each of the first three contests of the 2011 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. PHI.

* The line of Johnson (8-4—12), Kucherov (6-5—11) and Ondrej Palat (3-5—8) has combined for 17-14—31 in 13 playoff games this year, including half of the club’s 34 goals.

* After beginning the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 0-3—3 in his first eight outings, captain Steven Stamkos registered 3-4—7 in the final five games of the team’s Second Round series vs. MTL.

* During the regular season, the Lightning set franchise records with 50 wins and 108 points, surpassing the previous marks of 46 and 102, respectively, established when they captured the Stanley Cup in 2003-04. They also led the League with 262 goals.

* Bishop (Denver, Colo.) ranked fourth in the NHL with 40 wins, becoming the fourth U.S.-born goaltender in League history to reach the milestone. The others: Tom Barrasso (Boston, Mass.; 43 in 1992-93 w/ PIT), Mike Richter (Abington, Pa.; 42 in 1993-94 w/ NYR) and Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Mich.; 40 in 2006 07 and 41 in 2009-10, both w/ BUF). Bishop also surpassed his club record for wins in one season (37), established in 2013-14.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Click here for an all-access look at the Second Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs . . . Click here for the most compelling sights and sounds from the officials this postseason . . . Click here to watch the 15 overtime goals from the opening two rounds of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs . . . Click on the respective links for SAP breakdowns of the Rangers-Lightning and Ducks-Blackhawks series.

the above information was provided by the NHL PR department