Johnson scores a pair, Lightning force Game 7 with convincing win over Red Wings
Facing a must-win situation in the unfriendly confines of Joe Louis Arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning forced a deciding Game 7 with a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
Tyler Johnson scored a pair, including the eventual game winner, and Nikita Kucherov recorded three assists - while also surviving a questionable hit from Niklas Kronwall - to lead the way offensively, and Ben Bishop made 22 saves to backstop the team to a massive road win.
Game 7 is set to take place Wednesday in Tampa Bay.
Star Performer: The night once again belonged to Johnson, whose two goals propelled him into a share of the playoff-goals lead with six, tying himself with an already eliminated Vladimir Tarasenko.
He also won 53 percent of his faceoff attempts and scored the game-winning goal midway through the second period, proving to be the team's most valuable player to date.
Turning Point: While it certainly didn't mark the end of the night's excitement, Johnson's second goal at the 9:09 mark proved to be the difference.
The primary assist came from Ondrej Palat, but it was Kucherov's third of the night that started the breakout that led to the goal.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Goalie Comparison: Bishop certainly didn't steal the show, but he was good enough to earn the win. At the other end of the ice, Petr Mrazek put himself in the conversation for save of the year with a near-impossible stick save, but ultimately couldn't thwart the potent Tampa Bay attack.
| GOALIE | SHOTS | GA | SAVES | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Bishop | 24 | 2 | 22 | .917 |
| Petr Mrazek | 27 | 4 | 23 | .852 |
Top Highlight: Mrazek may have allowed four goals in the loss, but it really should have been five were it not for this ridiculous effort to rob Brian Boyle of what appeared to be a tap in.
Stat of the Night: Zero: The number of suspensions handed down to defenseman Kronwall, despite a history of hard and eyebrow-raising hits. And while the NHL is believed to be reviewing the hit, it's unlikely that he'll raise that number to one for Game 7.
1) Two questions on Kronwall, I think: a) Did he leave feet early, b) did he get his backside around like he usually does?...
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 28, 2015
2) Tough call for @NHLPlayerSafety. Last suspension for a Game 7 I can find was in 2002. Most important: Kucherov seems to be ok.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 28, 2015
Series at a Glance:
Game 1: Red Wings 3, Lightning 2
Game 2: Lightning 5, Red Wings 1
Game 3: Red Wings 3, Lightning 0
Game 4: Lightning 3, Red Wings 2 (OT)
Game 5: Red Wings 4, Lightning 0
Game 6: Lightning 5, Red Wings 2
Game 7: Wednesday, April 29, 7:30 pm ET