frm Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Against another opponent, maybe almost any other opponent, this might have been good enough for the Rangers.

But not against Tampa Bay, against whom the Blueshirts’ performance was just good enough to lose a second heartbreaker within five days and three games.

On Sunday, of course, Ondrej Palat scored the Game 3 winner at 19:18 of the third period when the champs were in danger of falling behind in the series by 3-0.

And in this one, it was Palat again on a deflection to score the Game 5 winner at 18:10 of the third period when the champs were in danger of facing elimination at home on Saturday night.

Instead it is the Rangers, on the wrong side of the line of demarcation separating the Lightning from the rest of the NHL, who will face extinction following this empty-net abetted 3-1 defeat at the Garden on Thursday.

This time they’re not facing the Penguins or ’Canes.

continued

Highlights

End of the game dust-up

Erik Cernak
2 minutes for Roughing

Steven Stamkos
5 minutes for Fighting
Team Logo

Alexis Lafreniere
5 minutes for Fighting

Ryan Strome
2 minutes for Roughing

Adam Fox
2 minutes for Slashing