Henrik Lundqvist had a great run. But all good things must come to an end.
The Lightning scored twice in the third period to leave Madison Square Garden victorious Friday night with a 2-0 win over the Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. The victory sends the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since they won the Cup in 2004.
The Rangers had won 10 straight when facing elimination and were a perfect 7-0 in Stanley Cup playoffs Game 7s at Madison Square Garden, while their goalie had never lost in six previous career Game 7s.
Both Lundqvist and Lightning keeper Ben Bishop – playing in just his second career playoff Game 7 – were outstanding on Friday. Lundqvist stopped 23 shots while the 6-7 Bishop made 22 saves. Bishop became the first goalie to record two shutouts in each of his first two career Game 7s.
"Whenever you play good goalies, you know they're going to make good saves, so you don't worry about what they do and just worry about what you have to do," said Bishop, who blanked the Rangers in the last 145 minutes played at MSG.
After two scoreless periods, Alex Killorn's backhand shot two minutes into the third period got past Lundqvist to break the tie. Ondrej Palat made it a two-score game with 8:43 remaining after taking a perfect pass from Tyler Johnson and burying it.
"I believed in every single guy," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos told NBC Sports after the game. "What a performance. We believed in 'Bish' and in our system. What a feeling. When we stick to our structure, we're a good team. Our top two lines came through. I can't express how excited I am to play for the Cup."
New York's six straight Game 7 wins tied an NHL record, but the Presidents' Trophy winners were unable to break the tie.
Highlight: Palat's goal was the one that sealed it.
Up next: The Stanley Cup Final beginning on June 3 against either Chicago or Anaheim. The Ducks and Blackhawks face off Saturday night in Anaheim (8 ET, NBCSN).