TAMPA, Fla. — Jarno Rodenberg and his fiancée, Lenne Kovasild, drove more than four hours from Miami to watch their beloved Rangers play the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. They sat in Section 314, two rows from the top of Amalie Arena, but neither lamented their view from high above because the trip almost did not happen.

The couple had moved from New York City a few months ago, and when Rodenberg tried to enter his credit card number to buy tickets, he was instantly frozen out as a non-Florida resident, his request denied because of a polarizing Lightning policy intended to create a true home-rink edge in these playoffs.

“Me, as a Rangers fan, I’m never afraid of not having a hometown advantage,” said Rodenberg, a Wall Street commodities trader who grew up in Estonia rooting for the Rangers. “It should come with a sense of pride. You shouldn’t have to worry about the other team’s fans. I think they’re just afraid of us.”

The Lightning’s two-pronged approach essentially means “No Rangers Fans Allowed” as the Eastern Conference finals shifted here for Game 3 Wednesday night. The policies prohibit fans from wearing an opposing team’s apparel in certain club areas and restrict ticket sales to non-Florida residents. On the surface, the apparel policy affects less than 10 percent of the 19,204-seat Amalie Arena.