Stamkos scores, Lightning power play comes alive in Game 2 victory over Canadiens
The Tampa Bay Lightning rode a hot power play to a 6-2 Game 2 victory, and are heading home with a 2-0 series lead over the Montreal Canadiens.
The Lightning, who entered the game with a 5.9 percent success rate on the power play over the course of the first eight games of the playoffs, converted on four of six of their opportunities in Game 2.
Here's what you need to know about Sunday's action.
Star Performer: Steven Stamkos scored his first goal of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs and added two power-play assists for a tidy three-point game.
It wasn't solely Stamkos' production that made his performance star worthy, but also his ability to attract the attentions of the Montreal defense, thereby further opening up the ice for the game's other goal scorers, namely Valtteri Filppula, Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov, the latter of which scored a pair.
In short, Tampa Bay's best player was just that on Sunday, and his awakening could spell even more bad news for the Canadiens moving forward.
Turning Point: With the scored tied at one nearing the halfway point of the game, Stamkos accepted a wicked breakout pass from Jason Garrison and put a filthy move on Carey Price to give the Lightning a lead they would not relinquish.
Goalie Comparison: Price allowed six goals for the first time all season, while Ben Bishop stood tall for his sixth win of the postseason.
| GOALIE | SHOTS | GA | SAVES | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carey Price | 24 | 6 | 18 | .750 |
| Ben Bishop | 29 | 2 | 27 | .931 |
Top Highlight: Lightning head coach Jon Cooper deployed a few of his best forwards on a 4-on-3, second-period power play, namely Stamkos, Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat.
This proved to be a deadly quartet, with Kucherov finishing off a lovely passing play started by a Stamkos move to the slot on which the Canadiens defense bit hard.
(Courtesy: NHL.com)
Stat of the Night: Carey Price's .750 save percentage marked his worst in a full 60-minute game in over two years. He allowed five goals on 23 shots (.783) in a 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders on March 5, 2013.
Series at a Glance
Game 1: Lightning 2, Canadiens 1
Game 2: Lightning 6, Canadiens 2
Game 3: Wednesday, May 6 7:00 pm ET
Game 4: Thursday, May 7 7:00 pm ET
Game 5*: Saturday, May 9 (TBD)
Game 6*: Tuesday, May 12 (TBD)
Game 7*: Thursday, May 14 (TBD)