Vasilevskiy Stifles Canadiens to Force Game 7 — Habs Game 7

The habs game 7 matchup is on after the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 at Centre Bell on Thursday night. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped all 30 shots he faced, and Gage Goncalves scored the only goal.

Vasilevskiy at Centre Bell

One goal was enough for Tampa Bay. Vasilevskiy handled every Montreal chance in a 30-save shutout, while Jakub Dobeš made 32 saves at the other end and still ended up on the wrong side of the result.

Goncalves provided the separation with the lone tally, and that was all the Lightning needed to survive Game 6. The Canadiens could not break through once the puck dropped, and the 1-0 finish pushed the series to a final game.

Lightning Hold Off Montreal

The win prevented Tampa Bay from being eliminated and extended the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to Sunday afternoon. Florida gets the return date for Game 7, with both teams now facing one last game to settle the series.

That is the pressure point for Montreal after a home loss in a game decided by goaltending and one finish. Dobeš made enough stops to keep his team close, but Tampa Bay carried the night with the cleaner sheet and the only goal that counted.

For the Lightning, the formula is simple now: take the same defensive edge into Florida and they move on. For the Canadiens, Sunday afternoon is a reset with no margin left.