TAMPA, Fla. _ Antti Raanta kept the Rangers in the hunt for 64 minutes, with 38 saves, and Andre Vasilevskiy had turned away all 33 for the Lightning.
But fed by Ryan McDonagh, Mika Zibanejad sped up ice and beat Vasileveskiy on a breakaway, firing a wrister low past his glove side, with 1:04 left in overtime for a 1-0 victory Monday night to started the Blueshirts' three-game road trip.
It was the fourth time in the last eight games that the Rangers have battled past regulation, and the third time in the last four for the Lightning.
The Rangers (now 23-8 away from home) lead the NHL with 86 third period goals, but could not come up with one that they needed until late from Zibanejad, who scored his second in the last 11 games.
Raanta, (13-5) who last played in the Rangers' 4-3 overtime defeat of the Devils in Newark on Feb. 25, making 35 saves, had stoned the Lightning for 40 minutes, turning away 25 shots to keep the game scoreless. He also had allowed just one goal on 32 shots against Tampa way back on Oct. 30 in New York.
Early in the third period, Tampa went on their sixth power play when Adam Erne stepped on Brandon Pirri's stick. Raanta continued to shine against the league's third best club with the man-advantage.
With 11:08 remaining, Raanta stopped Gabriel Dumont's backhander at the edge of a scrum and fooled the Lightning forward, who raised him arms in a premature celebration. With just over three minutes left in regulation, Rick Nash was sent on a semi-breakaway but was checked in time by Jason Garrison, preventing a clean shot.
Starting with perhaps the most contentious period of the season, the Rangers _ perhaps emboldened by the presence of Tanner Glass _ matched the Lightning toe-to-toe, finishing checks, shoving back and were credited with 15 hits.
The Blueshirts set a determined tone early in Amalie Arena. An open Pavel Buchnevich shot into Andrei Vasilevskiy's chest, and while Pirri was in the box for slashing at 7:12, Brendan Smith broke up a shorthanded 2 one by intercepting a pass. At 10:35, Jimmy Vesey and Braydon Point went off for roughing along the end boards after a Rangers rush.
The nastiness continued. Gabriel Dumont jammed defenseman Steven Kampfer's head into the corner boards from behind, which somehow didn't draw a major penalty, just a two-minute minor at 14:12. Brady Skjei skated over to slam Dumont and Kampfer eventually rose and went to the dressing room to undergo concussion testing. After 20 minutes, the Blueshirts had 12 shots, and Raanta made nine saves including two with his right pad, first on a screen, then on Ondrej Palat on the doorstep.
Vasilevskiy, who has assumed the No. 1 role with the trade of Ben Bishop to Los Angeles, had won his last three starts.
