The Rangers wasted little time getting on the board in Game 1. Mika Zibanejad created a 2-on-1 and dished it over to Chris Kreider for the first goal of the game.
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The Lightning did not wait long to respond with a goal of their own on a laser from captain Steven Stamkos.
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Frank Vatrano took the lead back for the Rangers halfway through the second period.
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Ondrej Palat answered back 42 seconds later.
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Youngster Filip Chytil scored on a great one-timer to retake the lead, 3-2.
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Chytil scored again to extend the Rangers lead. Chytil scored only 8 goals in all of the regular season. He scored #6 & #7 of the playoffs in the second period against the best goalie on the planet.
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Artemi Panarin scored early in the third to further extend the lead.
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The Rangers faithful held their collective breath after Stamkos makes contact with Shesterkin's head in the crease.
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Zibanejad added yet another tally on the power play to put the game all but out of reach.
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Game 1 ended with quite a few penalty minutes following an animated skirmish between the two teams. It should be a long series, so tempers are sure to flare in lopsided games.
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Shesterkin won this round of the goaltending matchup against Vasilevskiy. He won his 7th straight home game, 36 saves on 38 shots for a .949 save percentage. The Rangers drove the pace of play throughout the game and never trailed. The Lightning and Vasilevskiy look to bounce back Friday night in Game 2 in New York at 8pm.
