Blake Coleman’s diving goal broke a tie with 1.1 seconds left in the middle frame, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 42 shots for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 3-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena to take a two games to none lead in the series.
The Lightning are 8-0 winning a best-of-7 series after taking a 2-0 lead in their history.
Anthony Cirelli opened the scoring 6:40 into the second and Ondrej Palat notched the insurance marker with 4:18 left in regulation after Joel Edmundson turned the puck over behind the net.
Nick Suzuki’s power-play backhander, which came 3:56 after Cirelli scored, was Montreal’s lone goal. Suzuki registered a game-high nine shots on goal. Carey Price finished the game with 20 saves.
After a lackluster performance in Game 1, the underdog Canadiens outplayed the Lightning, but it wasn’t enough as they were done by the combination of the almost unbeatable Vasilevskiy and their own poor puck management.
The Canadiens have rallied to win the Stanely Cup twice after trailing 2-0 in the Final (1966 against the Detroit Red Wings, 1971 against the Chicago Black Hawks).
More postgame coverage at Raw Charge and Eyes On The Prize
NHL News
The Chicago Blackhawks are rumored to be working on a trade that send veteran defenseman Duncan Keith west. (Second City Hockey)
Quebec’s public health authorities have rejected the Canadiens‘ request to increase capacity at the Bell Centre to 10,500 fans for the Stanley Cup Final. Capacity will remain at 3,500 for Games 3 and 4 of the series. (Sportsnet)
The Arizona Coyotes are reportedly set to name André Tourigny, who most recently led Canada to a silver medal at the 2021 world juniors, of the Ottawa 67s as their next head coach. (Arizona Republic)