NEW YORK – The Tampa Bay Lightning emphatically thumped the New York Rangers

Tyler Johnson hat trick fuels Lightning’s Game 2 rout of Rangers

By Greg Wyshynski 7 hours ago Puck Daddy

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NEW YORK – The Tampa Bay Lightning emphatically thumped the New York Rangers in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Final, as a Tyler Johnson hat trick and four special teams goals fueled a 6-2 victory to even their series at 1-1.
It was the first time in 14 postseason contests that the Rangers didn’t play a one-goal game. It was the first time goalie Henrik Lundqvist had given up four or more goals since Game 2 of their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Overall, Lundqvist had given up two goals or fewer in 11 of 13 games, but the Lightning got through him in Game 2, thanks to a dynamic performance by the playoffs’ leading goal scorer.
Johnson was as good as it gets in a playoff performance for the Lightning, notching the first playoff hat trick in franchise history. He went to the net hard twice for goals and sniped another, getting three-fifths of the “Mario Lemieux Hat Trick” – scoring shorthanded, on the power play and at even strength. He also made tremendous little plays throughout the game, at one point hitting Marc Staal (who has about five inches on him) after losing his stick, and then kicking the puck to Steven Stamkos for an offensive chance.