Rangers edge Lightning to take early lead in Eastern Conference Final

Dominic Moore's shin pad was the hero late in the third period as the New York Rangers took Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday.

Derek Stepan also scored in the 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, who swept the Rangers during the regular season. Ondrej Palat replied with a power-play goal for Tampa Bay.

Star Performer: Derick Brassard was more than a handful for Tampa Bay all game, firing a game-high six shots and registering five hits in 16:07 time on ice. Brassard helped set up Moore's winning goal as well.

Turning Point: Moore was called for tripping with 4:55 remaining in the third period, giving the Lightning their fourth power play of the contest, but the Rangers limited Tampa Bay to one shot during the man advantage and Moore knocked the winning goal in off his shin 30 seconds after his penalty expired.

Goalie Comparison: Henrik Lundqvist and Ben Bishop both made strong opening statements in the series. Stepan's goal was scored after Bishop failed to handle the puck behind his net, but Bishop was the busier of the two netminders and his play gave the Lightning a chance to steal a victory.

Top Highlight: Victor Hedman and Tyler Johnson combined to set up Palat's goal with a passing play that dismantled New York's penalty-killing unit. Hedman one-touched a pass from the point across the ice to Johnson, who threaded it through the slot to Palat for a one-timer from the right faceoff dot.

Stat of the game: Seven of New York's nine playoff victories have been 2-1 games.

Series at a glance:

Game 1: Rangers 2, Lightning 1
Game 2: Monday, May 18, 8 p.m. ET
Game 3: Wednesday, May 20, 8 p.m. ET
Game 4: Friday, May 22, 8 p.m. ET
Game 5*: Sunday, May 24, 8 p.m. ET
Game 6*: Tuesday, May 26, 8 p.m. ET
Game 7*: Friday, May 29, 8 p.m. ET

*If necessary