Anton Stralman lingered in his zone for a moment as the Rangers retreated and the Lightning turned and headed up ice. Until this point, about halfway through the game, the Rangers had looked like the better team, skating harder and faster, creating the better chances. But all the Lightning needed to score were the puck and an opening.
Stralman surveyed the ice, like a quarterback reading a defense, then zipped a pass off the boards and around a lunging Tanner Glass to Steven Stamkos, leading him to an open space. Suddenly, the Lightning had an odd-man rush.