The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the New York Rangers 3-1 in Game 5 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 series lead. The Lightning are now just one win away from a third consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
Left wing Ondrej Palat scored the first of two goals in the final 1:50, along with fellow winger Brandon Hagel, while defenseman Mikhail Sergachev scored to break the tie, helping the Lightning earn their third straight victory, the first by a road team in this series. Goalie Andre Vasilevskiy stopped 24 shots.
The two-time defending champions can advance to the Stanley Cup Final with a win at home in Game 6. Tampa Bay and New York will face-off on Saturday night in Tampa, Florida at Amalie Arena. Game 7, if necessary, will be next Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
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