Flash Points: Lightning once more denied closure with Game 5 loss
The Tampa Bay Lightning are headed back home, and the Montreal Canadiens will come with them.
With a 2-1 victory Saturday at the Bell Centre in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Canadiens have forced a Game 6 after collecting their second consecutive win in the series. The Lightning hold a 3-2 lead, but their margin of error stands smaller than it was earlier in the week.
"That was a good hockey game," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said on the Sun Sports postgame show. "That game could have gone either way. ... They kept getting a little bit of momentum on their power plays, which we didn't get any (power plays), so that was a little tougher for us. But that game could have gone either way. It was, basically, an overtime game. It went down to the last couple minutes. They ended up getting one bounce that we didn't get."
Canadiens winger Devante Smith-Pelly scored 9:01 into the first period, and winger P.A. Parenteau added the decisive goal 15:53 into the third to claim the victory. Montreal goaltender Carey Price made 24 saves, and Tampa Bay goaltender Ben Bishop had 27. Center Steven Stamkos produced the Lightning's lone goal, with 9:27 gone in the third period.
The Canadiens' momentum continues to build with this result. The Lightning appeared to have a commanding 3-0 series lead after a 2-1 victory on Wednesday at Amalie Arena. However, Montreal has skated as the better team in most of the past three games. On Saturday, the Canadiens continued to serve as the aggressor. Consequently, the Lightning still haven't earned the ability to move on.
"No one said this was going to be easy," Stamkos told reporters in Montreal. "That's a good team over there. It could have gone either way after we tied it up. I thought in the third, we came alive. We're going home up 3-2."
Now the series shifts back to Tampa, where pressure will be on the Lightning to close the series in front of their home fans on Tuesday at Amalie Arena. They will want to avoid a return trip to Montreal, where Game 7 would be held next Thursday, if necessary.
"We knew it was going to be a tight series coming into this series," Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman told reporters in Montreal. "For us, it's just about refocusing. We won three straight, and now they've got two straight. We need to make sure we battle like we did, especially in the third period."
THE TURNING POINT
Parenteau's goal decided it. Until then, it looked like the Lightning might be able to snatch a victory.
THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
Bishop kept the Lightning in the game, but Price was big when the Canadiens needed him. Montreal's defense was strong, and Price was there to shut the door when necessary.
STAT OF THE GAME
With this loss, the Lightning dropped consecutive games for the first time since losing to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 31 and the Ottawa Senators on April 2. Tampa Bay has never lost three straight this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Lightning face the Canadiens in Game 6 on Tuesday at Amalie Arena. Time is TBD.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
