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Bolts strike Stanley Cup Final berth thanks to Game 7 win over Rangers

150530_LightningWinGame7

There is a new Eastern Conference champion.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, which will mark their first appearance in the championship series since 2004, when they won it all.

WATCH: Full replay of Game 7

Playing a team that had history on its side, the Lightning defeated the New York Rangers in Game 7 by a final score of 2-0. Alex Killorn finally broke a scoreless deadlock less than two minutes into the third period. Ondrej Palat followed that up with the kill shot, beating Henrik Lundqvist on the glove side to give Tampa a two-goal lead.

It was an insurmountable lead.

The Rangers, Stanley Cup finalists a year ago, began the day having been victorious in their last six Game 7 appearances dating back to 2012. And for the first time in their history, the Rangers lost a Game 7 on home ice.

Ben Bishop had allowed five goals in three of his last four starts prior to Friday. After getting pulled in Game 6, he responded with a 22-save shutout in Game 7, the most important start of his career.

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