Rangers vs. Lightning: Game 4 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NHL Playoffs

So much for all that concern about Henrik Lundqvist.

The New York Rangers goaltender was his normal brilliant self Friday during a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final. The back-and-forth series is now tied at two games apiece and shifts back to the Big Apple on Sunday for a critical Game 5.

Lundqvist allowed six goals in each of the past two contests—both losses—but was dominant in Friday's showdown. In fact, he stopped 38 of 39 shots and dictated the tempo of the entire game. 

Offensively, Rick Nash spearheaded a five-goal attack with two strikes of his own. That must have been refreshing for Rangers fans since the left winger didn't have a goal in the first three games of this series.

It took more than 17 minutes, but Nash gave New York the game's first lead when he darted down the left side and buried a backhanded shot into the net. Nash's first goal of the series prompted these responses from Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star and Keith Olbermann of ESPN:

Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune noted that from the Lightning's perspective, center Cedric Paquette was to blame for Nash's strike: 

New York took that 1-0 lead into the first intermission. It was a drastic change from the pace of the 6-5 Tampa Bay victory in Game 3. Rangers fans were likely thrilled with the effort from Lundqvist after he struggled the last two games.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Lundqvist discussed his mindset heading into Friday, per Neil Best of Newsday.

"I think the key is not to try to feel like you have to do something special. Just try to do your job and that's it and the rest will take care of itself," he said. "Sometimes when you feel like you have to do more, you try too much, challenge too much and you get out of structure."

That formula continued to work for the veteran goalie early in the second period, and he turned away numerous Lightning opportunities in front of the net. ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun praised Lundqvist for his efforts:

New York clung to that 1-0 lead, but Tampa Bay controlled the pace in the second period, thanks largely to defensive miscues from the Rangers, as Sean Hartnett of WFAN 660 in New York pointed out:

The Rangers flirted with disaster, and it finally cost them with less than nine minutes remaining in the second period. Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos drilled home a one-timer off a pass from Alexander Killorn to tie the game at 1-1. It marked the third straight game with a goal for Stamkos.

Dan Rosen of NHL.com noted that it was just a matter of time until the Lightning broke through, while the New York Daily News' Pat Leonard was critical of New York's sloppy play:

Momentum is fleeting, though, and Tampa Bay's mistakes proved costly on the other end. Bryan Burns of TampaBayLightning.com described the process that led to a go-ahead Chris Kreider goal:

Things got worse for the Lightning minutes later. New York's Keith Yandle fired a shot that was initially headed well wide, but it deflected off Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman and into the back of the net. With that goal, the Rangers took a 3-1 lead into the third period.

Things spiraled downhill for the Lightning at the start of the third. Martin St. Louis extended the New York lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal, and LeBrun and Rosen pointed out it wasn't the first time he demonstrated his playmaking abilities in Tampa Bay:

The Lightning should have called for mercy after the fourth goal, as Nash added a fifth on a rebound with less than nine minutes remaining. Rosen and Arthur both noted that Tampa Bay had a problem between the pipes with goaltender Ben Bishop:

Rosen also underscored how quickly storylines shift in the playoffs:

The two teams played out the rest of the third period in unceremonious fashion from a scoring perspective, but things did get chippy in the final seconds. Tampa Bay's visible frustration spilled over into a couple of scrums, but nothing came of it down the stretch.

New York maintained its advantage on the way to a 5-1 victory.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The Rangers now have elusive momentum back on their side, as well as home-ice advantage. Tampa Bay must find a way to win at least one game in New York after missing a golden opportunity to seize control of the series at home.

It is now a best-of-three series and certainly still up for grabs, but the Rangers have to feel good about their position. Not only are they heading back home, but Lundqvist also looked like his superstar self in Game 4. If he continues to play like that moving forward, New York is in prime position to not only win the Eastern Conference Final, but potentially take home the Stanley Cup.