17-1

Funny thing about streaks. They have a nasty habit of being broken. For instance, going into last night's game-two matchup at the Garden against the Rangers, the Tampa Bay Lightning were 17-0 after a playoff loss.

Make that 17-1.

That was no "rusty" team the Blueshirts were playing out there. And that sure as shit wasn't a backup goaltender they beat three times. Apart from the first four minutes of the opening period and a late push in the final three minutes of the third, the Rangers were the better team throughout this game. Indeed, had it not been for a couple of lucky breaks that bailed out Andrei Vasilevskiy in the second, this game would've gotten out of hand for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

The Rangers out skated the Lightning; their passes were crisper; and their transition game has never been better. The visitors were a step or two behind all night and spent most of the game chasing the puck. At one point, New York was out shooting the Bolts 22-10. Adam Fox had his best game of the playoffs, setting up a goal by Kaapo Kakko in the first and Mika Zibanejad in the third. Once more, the Kid line dominated in the offensive zone, generating several high-danger scoring chances.

Over the last two and a half postseasons, Tampa Bay has played 61 games, beating ten opponents in the process. But they have never faced an opponent like this: a team that plays a similar style of hockey and that has an elite-level goalie of its own in net. After surviving a grueling seven game series against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Rangers are beating the Bolts at the their own game. Credit Chris Drury for adding just the right pieces at the trade deadline to make this very good team a formidable contender; a contender that is two wins away from earning its first appearance in a Cup final since 2014. And this team is better than that team.

Is the series over? Hardly. Let's not forget that the Rangers found themselves in the same pickle against the Hurricanes and managed to even the series. The Lightning are certainly capable of doing the same. And we are talking about a two-time Stanley Cup champion here. Yes, the wear and tear may finally be catching up with this team, but there's a lot of pride in that locker room. Think about it: they came this close to tying a game they had no business being in. What do you think will happen when they're actually facing elimination?

But make no mistake about it: this Rangers team is legit. The haters can continue to hate and discount their postseason successes all they want. It won't matter. The truth is that they're here because they've played better than their opponents. Period. And if they continue to raise their level of play, they might just wind up stunning the hockey world.