NYR vs TBL GM 5

Game five was a low shooting and scoring affair Thursday night as both teams combine for 3 SOG 1 halfway through the first period with the Rangers spending most of the period in the offensive zone and winning 57 percent of faceoffs.

At 8:50 the Bread Man dangles and skates circles around Mr. Paul and it caused the Tampa Bay player to lose his balance and fall to the ice.

Finally at the 6:49 mark, the Lightning take their second shot of the game and the announcers ignore this fact after hyping the fact that the Ranges had a low SOG last game.

The obsequiousness of the ESPN announcers was so apparent they actually posted negative statistical information on the screen about the Rangers during the first period.

The second period highlighted New York’s sterling penalty-killing abilities,and the first Rangers power play was set up when Mr. Shesterkin alertly shot the puck at the Lightning bench during a change to earn the “too many men on the ice” call.

On top of which Tampa Bay is taking a whole three shots for the period and also hit two goal posts which the announcers kept commenting on well into the second period at the 5:18 mark again, Tampa had hit two posts.

The announcers’ constant mentioning of the Lightning’s two posts stopped when there were two and a half minutes left in the second period and Tampa Bay scored a lucky/perfect shot through no less than a six-player screen to tie the game at one.

The third period with seven minutes remaining had both teams acquiring 23 SOG, a quick-thinking Mr. Palat sheepishly ducks out of the way to avoid getting hit by Mr. Trouba.

Tampa gets their second score with less than two minutes left in the game when skittish Mr. Palat scores to make the score 2-1 and with 58 seconds remaining a Happy Net goal seals the victory for the Lightning.

Tonight the Rangers must return the favor and beat the Lightning on the road at Amalie Arena in Florida with puck drop scheduled for approximately eight o’clock.