Rangers acknowledge they 'got outplayed' in Game 3 of Eastern Final

TAMPA -- It would've been thievery had the New York Rangers pulled it off.

And they know it too.
"I wouldn't say we let it get away because they played really well," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said, "but we could've stolen it tonight and been up 3-0."
Could've. Not should've.
Although it took more than 59 minutes, the Rangers got what they deserved in a 3-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Amalie Arena on Sunday.
Ondrej Palat's goal at 19:18 of the third period was the difference, and the only 5-on-5 goal scored in the game. But it was the Lightning's 19th shot on goal of the third period, their 52nd in the game, and their 84th shot attempt.
The Rangers had six shots in the final period, 30 for the game and 51 total attempts.
"They were the better team," Gallant said. "I was pretty happy after two periods. It was 2-2. You give yourself a chance to win and that's what we did. We didn't do a great job of that before in some of our games, but I thought we stayed with it, we had an opportunity and unfortunately, they got the late goal to win the hockey game. We got outplayed but we had a chance to win."
All true, but the Rangers were on their heels as soon as Nikita Kucherov scored a power-play goal at 10:50 of the second period to cut their lead to 2-1. Jacob Trouba was in the box for interference, the first of his three minor penalties in the last 30 minutes of the game.
"They score that power-play goal to make it 2-1, I thought that was a big goal," Gallant said. "It was unfortunate for us to get the penalty, but when they bury it like that, we just got two power-play goals, it's tough."
[Complete Rangers vs. Lightning series coverage]
Sixty-six seconds before Kucherov scored, Chris Kreider put home the Rangers' second power-play goal in a span of 2:07. Mika Zibanejad had the first at 7:37 of the second period.
But the Lightning pushed after Kucherov's goal, and the Rangers had no pushback.
"Once we start sitting on our heels it's tough to get going again," forward Andrew Copp said.
It didn't help the Rangers that they were playing a forward short. Ryan Strome, their second-line center who also plays on the top power-play unit, left the game early in the second period after sustaining a lower-body injury. He returned for one shift after Kucherov scored, but that was it. It's not clear if he'll be available for Game 4 on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS).
"It's a huge loss," Copp said.
However, Strome's absence wasn't why the Rangers couldn't stop the Lightning in Game 3.
Once Steven Stamkos scored his power-play goal 1:22 into the third period, also with Trouba in the box, it was all Lightning.
"The third period for us just wasn't good enough," defenseman Adam Fox said. "We were on our heels the whole time and eventually they're going to get one, and they did."
Before the Lightning did, the Rangers had a chance on what was originally a four-minute power play with Kucherov in the box for high-sticking Zibanejad at 10:56.
Not only did they not do anything with the man-advantage, they lost it for two minutes after Trouba went to the box for tripping Alex Killorn at 12:29, the third minor in what might have been his toughest game of the 17 he's played in the playoffs.
"I don't think anyone here is blaming 'Troubs' for something like that," Fox said. "He still does a lot of good things, still played a really good game, played hard. It happens. He had a few penalties."
When the game got back to 5-on-5, the Lightning kept pushing and attacking, and they finally did what Fox said they would, they got one.
Igor Shesterkin made an initial save on Stamkos and the rebound popped out to Erik Cernak at the right point. Kreider said he was puck watching and blamed himself for not getting the puck out of the zone after he strayed too far from the Lightning defenseman.
"I should have planted instead of filtering a little too far back to the net," Kreider said. "Everyone was accounted for, I didn't need to over backcheck and take myself that close to the paint. If I'm planted it comes right to me, put the puck on the ice, get it out."
But Zibanejad didn't pick up Palat, who coasted through the right circle, past the Rangers center and was gifted a terrific blind backhand pass from Kucherov from in between the circles. Palat buried a short-side shot on Shesterkin.
"They played well," Copp said, "and I think they probably deserved the win."