Rangers vs. Lightning Game 1 live updates, score: New York looks to stop Tampa from third straight title

And then there were two. The Rangers and Lightning are the last teams from the East still alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and on Wednesday night they meet for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. Tampa comes in very well-rested, having not played in nine days after sweeping the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Florida Panthers.

The Rangers, on the other hand, won Game 7 of their semifinal series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. Rest aside, the main story coming into this series is the goaltending matchup of Igor Shesterkin vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy. They are the best two goalies remaining in these playoffs, so defense is expected to take centerstage.

While New York is coming off of two straight stressful seven game series, the Lightning have won 10 consecutive playoff series. They are trying to make history by winning a third straight Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, the Rangers have not won a championship since 1994 — and before that you have to go all the way back to 1940. Can they stand in the way of Tampa accomplishing something truly special?

Follow along with CBS Sports below for updates and highlights from Game 1 with puck drop set for 8 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden on ESPN and streaming on fuboTV (get access now).