The Tampa Bay Lightning have forced a Game 7 after a wild, nerve-racking overtime victory Friday night.
Gage Goncalves scored the winner 9:03 into the extra period and Andrei Vasilevskiy earned his eighth career playoff shutout as the Lightning downed Montreal 1-0 in Game 6 to even the best-of-seven series at 3-3, preventing the Canadiens from advancing in front of a frenzied home crowd.
Goncalves crashed the crease and had a couple of attempts at a loose puck before finally beating Jakub Dobes to end the fourth overtime game in this series.
Vasilevskiy stopped 30 shots, including back-to-back desperation saves on Ivan Demidov late in the second period, for the Lightning. Tampa staved off elimination after dropping a 3-2 decision at home in Game 5.
Tampa Bay is trying to advance past the first round for the first time in four years after making three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup final, including championships in 2020 and 2021.
Dobes made 32 saves for the Canadiens as the series shifts back to Tampa, Fla., for Game 7 on Sunday.
Montreal is the only Canadian team still standing after the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers bowed out in the first round.
The Canadiens had a chance to win after Nikita Kucherov’s trip on Alexandre Carrier put them on the power 5:30 into overtime. But Vasilevskiy held the fort again, denying a shot from Lane Hutson.
Dobes then denied Kucherov after he exited the box and broke in with a chance of his own after Nick Suzuki’s turnover
The game almost ended late in the third when the Lightning went on the power play with 3:18 remaining in regulation as Demidov, after falling into Vasilevskiy on a deke, was called for goalie interference.
Habs fans pack into fan zone outside Bell Centre as excitement grows over Game 6
Loud jeers and chants of “Ref, you suck!” rained down from the crowd as Tampa Bay spent nearly the entire two minutes in Montreal’s zone. The frantic stretch included stellar stops from Dobes on Darren Raddysh and Brayden Point as the Canadiens killed it off and ultimately sent the game to overtime.
The Canadiens were all over the Lightning early in the third but still couldn’t solve Vasilevskiy.
After a flurry of Canadiens chances, Jake Guentzel stripped Kaiden Guhle and was brought down on a partial break to draw a penalty 5:11 into the period.
Kucherov and Guentzel then hit a pair of posts on the ensuing power play, which also included a missed high stick that cut Brayden Point and would have put the Canadiens on a 5-on-3 kill.
Five minutes into the second period, Phillip Danault saved a goal by sweeping the puck off the goal line after Corey Perry knocked it between Dobes’ legs. The crowd broke out into a raucous ovation for the veteran centre as the game remained scoreless.
The teams continued trading chances, as Lane Hutson broke up a Lightning 2-on-1 at one end and Vasilevskiy denied Zachary Bolduc off the rush at the other.
Vasilevskiy then robbed Demidov twice on a Canadiens power play with 1:25 remaining in the second, stretching out for a pad save before reaching back with the glove to deny his backhand off the rebound.
Demidov, still searching for his first goal this series, sat hunched over on the bench with his gloves over his helmet after the play.
The energy was palpable hours before puck drop as thousands of fans in Habs sweaters — many with red, white and blue face paint — swarmed the streets around the Bell Centre.
Inside, the building turned into a madhouse pre-game as former enforcer Chris “Knuckles” Nilan carried the torch into the lower bowl.
The game started with instant action in a fast-paced first period as Josh Anderson laid out Erik Cernak nine seconds in.
Both teams followed with multiple scoring chances. Lightning forward Yanni Gourde failed to capitalize two minutes in after Dobes misplayed the puck behind his own net, losing the handle on a wraparound on his backhand.
Cole Caufield then ripped a shot past Vasilevskiy on a 2-on-1, but couldn’t beat the post. He nearly set up Juraj Slafkovsky for a Grade A chance later in the shift before Guentzel also struck iron at the other end — a precursor to how the rest of the night would unfold.
Game 7 is a fitting way to end the closely contested series, an anticipated matchup of youth versus experience that hasn’t disappointed.
After both teams finished the regular season tied at 106 points, the first three games needed overtime and the next two were decided by a single goal before Friday’s thriller.
