Dose: Rangers zap Lightning

The Preakness Stakes meant some early hockey (1 p.m. ET) on Saturday.

Just a few quick notes from the day before we get to the recap:

- Brian Boyle missed Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final because of an undisclosed injury. It does not appear serious, though you’d have to think it was bad enough that the big fella sat as it snapped a streak of 263 consecutive games played.

- Alex Ovechkin recorded a goal and an assist in Russia’s 4-0 win against the United States in the world hockey championships semifinal match. Russia will play Canada.

Don’t forget, for everything NHL, check out Rotoworld's Player News, and follow @Rotoworld_ HK and @jhascup22 on Twitter.

- Sportsnet reported that the list for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager is down to four: Tampa Bay Lightning assistant GM Julien Brisebois, New York Rangers assistant GM Jeff Gorton, Los Angeles Kings vice president of hockey operations and director of player personnel Michael Futa and ex-Washington Capitals GM George McPhee.

Without further ado, let’s get to the breakdown of Game 1 of the East final:

RANGERS 2, LIGHTNING 1

— Beyond the final score, if there’s one major takeaway from this game, it’s that this series is likely to be free flowing and uptempo. For the Rangers, that’s in contrast to the lane-clogging and physical Capitals. I think that favors New York, as it thrives in the skating/transition-style games.

— The Lightning had won the three regular-season games, the last of which came Dec. 1. But both teams are different now, and the Lightning’s possession game has not clicked consistently for most of these playoffs.

— The Rangers were flying in the first period, and the Lightning were lucky to get out of the period tied at zero. The Rangers had 10 scoring chances (on 11 shots), compared to one for the Lightning (on seven shots).

— With 13 seconds remaining in the second period, Derek Stepan rewarded the Rangers for a strong second period with his fourth goal of the playoffs. Stepan has a knack for finding the “soft” space in the offensive zone, and this goal was a perfect example of that. As Chris Kreider took a shot, Stepan slipped off the side and tucked in the rebound. He has points in four games in a row, with five of his nine points coming in that timeframe.

— The Lightning showed the Rangers that even in a game where they’re struggling to push the pace consistently, they can strike quickly when they get chances because their talent level is so high. Case in point: on the power play. Ondrej Palat beat Henrik Lundqvist over the glove on a one-timer from Tyler Johnson. The Rangers will be better served to not take penalties against this team. They had four Saturday. Palat has four goals and nine points in the playoffs.

— Dominic Moore’s value soars in the playoffs. He is the Rangers’ best face-off man, kills penalties, plays exceptional defense and keeps the puck in the opponent’s zone. He recently was moved to the third line, and it has actually worked quite well. Saturday, he and Carl Hagelin turned a struggling Martin St. Louis into a positive possession player. Moore scored the game-winning goal with 2:25 left in the third, off a tremendous individual effort by Kevin Hayes to shield the puck behind the net then spin and pass it off Moore’s leg. This was Moore’s first goal of the 2014-15 playoffs, and fourth in the past two seasons. Three of those have been game winners. That tells you the amount trust coach Alain Vigneault has in him.

— Both goalies played very well. Bishop’s highlights came in the first when it seemed like every Rangers shot was of the high-danger variety. He made 28 saves. Bishop has a 1.82 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. The question is, will that be enough to defeat Lundqvist (1.56 GAA, .945 SV%) on a regular basis? Lundqvist has given up one goal in three of his past four games, stopping 23 Saturday.

— The next game of the series is Monday night at 8 p.m. on NBCSN. Chicago visits Anaheim Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC.