Tampa Bay forward Gage Goncalves found the back of the net during overtime Friday night, delivering a crucial 1-0 road victory against Montreal and setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 showdown in their Stanley Cup playoff matchup.
The series finale will take place Sunday at Tampa Bay’s home arena, with both clubs vying to advance to face Buffalo in the second round.
Friday’s dramatic contest reached its conclusion when Goncalves capitalized on a chaotic net-front sequence, burying a rebound 9:03 into the extra period for his first overtime playoff goal.
The game-winner came moments after Tampa Bay successfully defended a Montreal man-advantage opportunity.
“I liked how we stayed even-keeled the whole game,” Goncalves told Sportsnet. “Some calls there. Some calls (were) not (made). A bunch of chances for them and for us throughout the night, but we stayed even-keeled and didn’t let it get to us.”
Tampa Bay netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy bounced back from earlier series struggles with a stellar 30-save shutout performance, recording his eighth career playoff clean sheet.
“I’ve watched him the past few years and you think you’ve seen the best of it and then he does something like this,” Goncalves said of his netminder. “We’re pretty happy for him to be on our team.”
Montreal’s Jakub Dobes matched his counterpart’s excellence, turning aside 32 shots in an outstanding goaltending battle.
The entire series has featured razor-thin margins, with each contest settled by a single goal. Both teams have captured two overtime victories apiece.
Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis expressed optimism about the decisive seventh game ahead.
“Tons of confidence. We’re a confident group,” St. Louis said about going to Game 7. “We believe in what we do and how we do it. … That was probably the best game I’ve seen this young group play.”
“You’ve just got to embrace the situation. Things are meant to be. I think it was meant to be for our growth to play a Game 7. It’s going to help for what’s next for us.”
Despite the low-scoring affair, both teams created numerous high-quality scoring opportunities throughout the evening.
Tampa Bay nearly broke through early in the middle frame when Corey Perry’s shot squeezed between Dobes’ pads, only to have Phillip Danault sweep the puck away from the goal line.
Later in the second period, Vasilevskiy denied Ivan Demidov twice with spectacular saves during a Montreal power play, leaving the forward staring at the ceiling in disbelief. Danault also came close on a partial breakaway as time expired in the period.
Alexandre Texier, who provided the Game 5 winner, struck the goalpost early in the final frame, while Jake Guentzel was denied on a breakaway chance at the opposite end.
During Tampa Bay’s subsequent power play, both Nikita Kucherov and Guentzel hit the iron with their attempts.
Dobes continued his outstanding play during another Lightning man-advantage later in the third period, highlighted by a crucial save on Brayden Point.
