Igor Shesterkin makes Rangers legitimate Stanley Cup contender despite Game 3 loss to Tampa

Not to get ahead of this Eastern Conference Final series, which the Rangers lead 2-1 following Sunday’s 3-2 Game 3 loss at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

But this team has what it takes to win it all.

That is to say: these Rangers have Igor Shesterkin.

Ondrej Palat’s short side finish with 41.6 seconds remaining, off a beautiful pass from Nikita Kucherov, snapped a 2-2 tie to hand the Rangers their first defeat in five games.

But Shesterkin made 48 saves, offsetting a ridiculous 83-51 total shots advantage from the Lightning, and had the Rangers prepared to take a commanding 3-0 lead if not for a parade of whistles from the officials.

Top center Mika Zibaenjad (goal, assist) was victimized defensively by Kucherov’s terrific pass to Palat on the deciding goal, the only even strength goal scored all game. The Lightning outshot the Rangers on goal 51-30 for the game and 19-6 in the third.

Zibanejad’s line was outshot, 20-5, by Anthony Cirelli’s Lightning line head-to-head in a lopsided performance in Tampa’s favor.

“It was obviously decided on five on five,” said top wing Chris Kreider, who took blame for “puck watching” and not getting the puck out before the goal. “Got away from our forecheck in the third and they got on theirs and that was the difference.”

The Rangers will look to take one home from the Lightning on Tuesday night, though, having demonstrated no fear of the two-time reigning Cup champions, as long as they can stay out of the box.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves for Tampa in the must-have win.

“The third period for us just wasn’t good enough,” defenseman Adam Fox said. “We were on our heels the whole time. It was only a matter of time before they got one, and they did.”

Jon Cooper’s Lightning knotted the game at two apiece 1:22 into the third period on a Steven Stamkos one-time power play goal over Shesterkin’s left shoulder.

Tampa was on the man advantage after a phantom holding call against Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba, who committed three minor penalties in the final half of this game.

“That one at the start of the third, I don’t know about that one,” Fox said of the holding call against Trouba.

Trouba was whistled again for a legitimate tripping penalty midway through the third period to end a four-minute Ranger power play with the game tied, earned on a Kucherov high stick on Zibanejad.

The Rangers were held without a shot for five minutes early in that period, too, from Andrew Copp’s shot at 1:04 to Kreider’s at 6:04.

“They played well,” Copp said. “And I think they probably deserved the win. We played on our heels too much in the third. Have to keep that even keel mentality on the bench and understand it’s a 0-0 hockey game. Once we sit on our heels it’s tough to get going again.”

The Rangers carried a 2-1 lead into the third period after both teams’ power plays cashed in for three goals in the second. The Blueshirts and Lightning combined for three power play goals in a span of 3:13 in the middle of the second period.

“They were jumping and forcing us to make mistakes we didn’t make in prior games,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “I wouldn’t say we let it get away because they played well, but we could have stolen it and been up 3-0.”

Zibanejad opened the scoring with his trademark blast from the left circle at 7:37 off assists from Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin. It was Zibanejad’s sixth power play goal and 10th total these playoffs.

The Rangers then took a 2-0 lead on Chris Kreider’s rebound slam dunk in front at 9:44 off a Zibanejad shot following a beautiful cross-ice pass by Panarin, his second assist of the game.

Kreider is now tied with the late, great Rod Gilbert for the most playoff goals (34) in Ranger history.

Kucherov cut the visitors’ lead in half on Tampa’s power play at 10:50, however, capitalizing on a Trouba interference penalty.

The Rangers lost second-line center Ryan Strome for the rest of the game early in the second period on an apparent right leg injury. Then they almost lost fourth-line center Barclay Goodrow on a blocked shot during a third-period penalty kill, but the gritty forward returned from the locker room quickly.

Both goalies stood tall in a scoreless first period despite numerous scoring chances and the Lightning outshooting the Rangers, 15-12.

Shesterkin flashed his right pad to stop Kucherov on a breakaway coming out of the penalty box at 10:16 of the first period.

Vasilevskiy was equal to the task at the Lightning’s end, denying Goodrow on the doorstep with his left pad at 10:51 and stopping Tyler Motte on the rebound.

Vasilevskiy also got lucky at 16:13 of the first, when a Trouba point shot skipped under his right pad but hit his backside.

Shesterkin stopped a Stamkos wrist shot in the slot off the rush with 18 seconds remaining to ensure no goals through the opening 20 minutes.

That was a marked difference from the first two games of this series.

Chris Kreider had scored 71 seconds into Game 1 for a 1-0 Rangers lead in their eventual 6-2 win. And Kucherov had tallied 2:41 into Game 2 on the power play for an early 1-0 Lightning lead in an eventual 3-2 Rangers win.

The Blueshirts now have to take care of business on Tuesday to avoid losing their early series advantage against a team with Stanley Cup pedigree.