Tampa Bay Lightning eliminate New York Rangers in Game 7

Ben Bishop responded from a shaky performance with the biggest win of his career, a 22-save shutout to propel the Tampa Bay Lightning into the Stanley Cup Finals.

Bishop's third shutout of the postseason helped Tampa Bay book its first trip to the title round since 2004 with a 2-0 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night.

Bishop became the first goaltender to record two shutouts in each of his first two Game 7 starts. He stopped 31 shots against the Red Wings on April 29 during the first round.

Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat each scored during the third period for the Lightning, who improved to 5-1 all-time in Game 7s.

Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves for the Rangers, who entered the game with a 7-0 record at Madison Square Garden in Game 7s and 10 straight home wins when facing elimination.

The Lightning will face the winner of Saturday's Game 7 of the Western Conference finals between Chicago and Anaheim on Wednesday.

[SportsNetwork.com]