Vin A. Cherwoo, The Associated Press
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The Rangers have already been in a similar position since the start of the playoffs – having to turn the tide at home, after losing two games on the road.
In the first round against Pittsburgh, they went home down 1-3, then winning three in a row to advance on the board.
In the second round, they lost the first two games against Carolina, before signing four wins in five occasions.
Now they return to New York tied 2-2 in the Eastern Final against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.
Game 5 is Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, where New Yorkers have eight straight wins.
“We are playing very well at home, but this time we need a greater sense of urgency,” said striker Andrew Copp.
The Rangers will look to rediscover the offense that seemed to roll in the first two games as they outscored Tampa Bay 9-4.
They were outscored 7-3 in both games in Florida.
Rangers haven’t lost at home since losing in third overtime as a first-round curtain-raiser.
The Lightning will want to maintain the momentum gained at Amalie Arena, they who seemed rusty at the start of the series, after nine days of respite (they had swept the Panthers).
Tampa Bay had won six games in a row before losing the first two games against the Rangers.
In the last two games, when Rangers approached the net, Andrei Vasilevskiy was there to close the door.
“It was very important to come back to the series,” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. We cannot consider ourselves satisfied for all that.”
The Lightning have been more disciplined lately. Showing the best power play unit in the playoffs, the New York club had only two such opportunities in Game 4.
“They’ve got an outstanding five-man attack, so I spoke to ‘Captain Obvious,'” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. He said if you avoid being punished, it’ll probably help you. He was right.”
Rangers may be without centers Ryan Strome and Filip Chytil in Game 5.
Strome missed Game 4 with a lower body injury sustained in the previous game. He skated in pre-game warm-ups but did not play.
Chytil left Tuesday night’s game midway through the second period after a hit by Victor Hedman. He missed the rest of the game with an upper body injury.
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