TAMPA, Fla. - The Rangers have gone to the well so many times, you have to wonder when it's going to run dry.
Of their last nine playoff elimination games, the Blueshirts have won eight. Number 10 is Tuesday night here against the Lightning, which leads the Rangers 3-2 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals.
If the Rangers win, the 11th elimination game will be back in New York on Friday.
Experience breeds confidence, the Rangers say, but this hill is steep.
In Game 5 on Sunday night, with a massive defensive effort that seemed to surprise the Rangers, the Lightning squeezed the Presidents' Trophy winners in a 2-0 triumph, leaving them vowing to produce more shots and continue being "a tough out.