The Detroit Red Wings got off to a great start in Game 7 and had the seeming had the edge for most of the contest except where it mattered most. Detroit’s strong play never translated into a goal and Tampa Bay went on to earn a 2-0 victory.
Ben Bishop deserves a lot of credit for pushing the Lightning into the second round. He turned aside all 31 shots he faced and kept Tampa Bay in this game during a rough 40 minutes. Along the way the Red Wings had four opportunities with the man advantage, which is a big deal when you consider that they had the second-best ranked power play in the league during the regular season, but Bishop and Tampa Bay’s defense got through each one.
The scoreless tie was finally broken 3:58 minutes into the third frame when defenseman Braydon Coburn nailed a one-timer past Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek. They had an opportunity to add an insurance goal late in the third, but it was disallowed due to matching penalties:
That proved to be moot though as the Lightning later sealed the deal with an empty netter from Anton Stralman.
Tampa Bay will now play the Canadiens for the second straight year. Last time Montreal beat the Lightning in four games, but Bishop was unavailable for that series. This time around the goaltender is healthy and heading to Montreal on a high note.