Lightning vs. Rangers: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NHL Playoffs

The New York Rangers received a goal from Dominic Moore with less than three minutes remaining to notch a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday.

Both teams had several scoring chances in the final minutes of regulation, including two power-play opportunities for the Lightning. However, New York wound up with the clutch goal needed to grab the early series lead.

The Rangers are the reigning Eastern Conference champions and won the Presidents' Trophy for the most points in the NHL during the regular season. They knew the high-flying Lightning were going to pose a serious challenge, though.

Scott Burnside of ESPN passed along comments from Moore ahead of Game 1 about the matchup:

"

They play their system really well. They're a well-coached team. They've got good depth. They're a well-rounded team. We played all three of the games against them a little bit earlier in the season, when he hadn't hit our stride, but they played us very well. They'll be a huge challenge and we're looking forward to it.

"

Based on the series opener, the veteran center hit the nail on the head. Game 1 was a closely contested, extremely entertaining clash that sets the tone for what should be a terrific series.

Neither team managed to score a goal during the first period. While that would normally suggest the two teams were attempting to feel each other out, that wasn't the case here, as the pace was quick and both teams had scoring chances.

They combined for 18 shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, with the Rangers generating 11 of those opportunities. Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop turned them all away, as did New York's Henrik Lundqvist at the other end of the rink.

Despite the lack of scoring, ESPN's Mike Greenberg of ESPN was a fan of the first period:

Andrew Berkshire of Eyes on the Prize noted the more steady defensive play the Lightning were facing in this round:

The second period was a near-carbon copy of the first: plenty of action (23 total shots on goal) and some terrific goaltending to keep the game scoreless for nearly the entire 20 minutes.

Less than 15 seconds before the intermission, Derek Stepan sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. The Game 7 overtime hero from the previous round picked up a loose puck in front of Bishop and chipped it home amid a scrum in front.

William Hirsch of Sports Journey discussed Stepan's nose for the goal:

The Lightning struck back early in the third, however.

Ryan McDonagh took a high-sticking penalty to create a power play for Tampa at the 5:44 mark. About a minute into the power play, Tyler Johnson showed terrific patience by waiting an extra second to deliver an on-point pass to Ondrej Palat, who buried the shot past Lundqvist.

Chris Johnston of Sportsnet provided an interesting stat about the goal-scoring group:

Tampa Bay received two more chances on the power play in the third period, but it was unable to convert on either one.

That proved vital as the Rangers regained the lead with less than three minutes left in regulation. After Kevin Hayes threw a puck toward the front of the net, it redirected off Moore and bounced into the net for the go-ahead goal.

ESPN Stats & Info noted it was Moore's first score in more than a month:

"That's the playoffs, isn't it?" Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of the Rangers' winning goal, via Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports. "I give them credit. They threw one at the net and got one in. It often comes down to who gets the last bounce at the end."

"Dom's done a lot of good things for us," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault added, per Wyshynski. "To see him get the benefit of that bounce with hard work [it] pays off. Even though they tied it up, we kept working."

The Lightning ripped off a few flurries in the final minutes but couldn't find an equalizer.

If Game 1 is an indication of what's to come, this is shaping up to be a memorable series. Although it was a low-scoring affair, each side had plenty of scoring chances. The Rangers will just be happy to have defended home ice to get things started.

Game 2 is set for Monday night at 8 p.m. ET.