The New York Rangers entered Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals with their adrenaline still pumping from Monday’s Game 7 win at the Carolina Hurricanes. The Tampa Bay Lightning, in contrast, hit the ice for the first time since completing a sweep of the Florida Panthers way back on May 23.

Their respective layoffs showed in the Rangers’ 6-2 romp over the Lightning on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden to take a 1-0 series lead.

“There was a lot of sharpness for us. Like we talked about, our team just kept going. We got a day off, we played a game, and it really looked good for us tonight,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “Obviously, they were a little bit rusty tonight. They weren’t the same, being nine days off. It makes a difference.”

New York was on the Lightning from the first moments of the game, as Chris Kreider scored on a Tampa Bay turnover just 1:11 into regulation for his ninth of the season.

The Boston Celtics are headed to the 2022 NBA Finals — their first trip to the championship round since 2010 — and they will meet an experienced Golden State Warriors team that knows how to win on this stage.

The Warriors are back in the Finals after beating the Dallas Mavericks in five games during the Western Conference Finals. It’s the Warriors’ sixth NBA Finals appearance in the last eight years. They won three of the previous five, including back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

Oddsmakers have made the Warriors slight favorites for the series.

The Warriors are loaded with championship experience and plenty of talent, but the Celtics present a tough matchup for Golden State with their scoring depth, versatility and No. 1 ranked defense.

The Rangers survived one natural disaster, and they’ll get another as a reward.

New York completed its rally from a 3-1 deficit with a 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 7 of their second-round series on Monday at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.

Adam Fox and Chris Kreider scored first-period power play goals for the Blueshirts, who got 36 stops from Igor Shesterkin in the win — the team’s second Game 7 win of the 2022 NHL playoffs.

Ryan Strome added to the lead with a second-period tally with Kreider making it 4-0 early in the third.

The Hurricanes got a slim ray of hope with Tony DeAngelo’s third-period goal — but those hopes were quickly dashed when Filip Chytil picked up a loose puck in the offensive zone and quickly put it behind Pytor Kochetkov for a 5-1 lead. Max Domi’s late goal made it 5-2 before Andrew Copp’s empty-net goal made it 6-2.

Now, the Rangers will face the reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.