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Lightning's Game 7 confidence comes from many things

 
Lightning coach Jon Cooper, top row right, says his team has been responding to great pressure all season, one example being the Game 7 first-round win vs. Detroit
Lightning coach Jon Cooper, top row right, says his team has been responding to great pressure all season, one example being the Game 7 first-round win vs. Detroit
Published May 29, 2015

NEW YORK — Much has been made about the resilience of the battle-tested Rangers, who are 15-3 in elimination games since 2012.

"It seems like they always step up at the right moment and everyone is on their game when they need it the most," said Lightning D Anton Stralman, a former Ranger.

But the Lightning enters tonight's Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden with confidence, having learned a lot from its Game 7 victory over Detroit in the first round.

"When you have success in them — we went to Game 7 and won — you just know you can do it," coach Jon Cooper said. "Knowing you're under the highest … pressure of situations — when the season can potentially end or you can go on and play for the Stanley Cup — our guys have responded."

Said LW Brenden Morrow: "When we've been tested and needed desperation in our game, we've been able to find our best game."

D Victor Hedman said that Game 7 against Detroit was huge for the young Lightning, making it realize how it has to play to be successful with its back against the wall.

"We've got that Game 7 experience, which is big," C Tyler Johnson said. "You need to be able to use that, to realize it's just another game. You can't really focus (on it), can't stress about it. That's when bad things happen. We have to realize … that's a lesson we learned through this postseason, to play our game."

MEDICAL MATTERS: C Cedric Paquette, who missed Tuesday's Game 6 with an undisclosed injury, returned to practice Thursday, a good indication he might be ready for Game 7. … Though some Lightning players have been dealing with flu symptoms this week, everyone participated in practice, and it appears the virus has taken its course. "We're going to be as healthy as we can be at this time of the year," Cooper said. "We're going to be in a heck of a lot better shape than we were the other night."

HANK THE HERO: Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist has been at his best in Game 7s, with a 4-0 career record. He has a 1.47 goals-against average in 18 elimination games overall. "I've never met or played with a more competitive guy than him," Stralman said. "It seems like when the pressure is on and the stakes are high, he seems to have his best games. He excels with the weight on his shoulder."

TELLING THOUGHT: The last time C Steven Stamkos played in a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, he got his nose broken by a shot against Boston in 2011. Stamkos returned to the game a few minutes later, wearing a cage, in 1-0 loss. "I don't really remember taking the puck to the face as much as I remember losing," Stamkos said. "That's a tough one."

NO WORRIES: Though Madison Square Garden is a hostile environment and the Rangers are 7-0 all time in Game 7s there, the Lightning isn't intimidated. Tampa Bay has won four of its past five games in New York, including two in this series. "We feel comfortable in our game and comfortable playing there," Hedman said. "So we just have to shut everything out."