 However, after winning the first game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Rangers lost Game 2 by four goals.The two teams split the first four games of the series, but the Rangers lost Game 5 2–0 at home, which gave the Lightning an opportunity to clinch the Conference Finals in Tampa Bay.However, this did not happen in Game 6, as Derick Brassard scored a hat-trick and assisted on two other goals in an emphatic 7–3 Rangers victory to force a Game 7 in New York.