Lightning Repeat History, Winning Game 6 Of Stanley Cup Playoffs

TAMPA, FL — It was like Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper had a crystal ball.

He predicted Tuesday, following the Lighting's 3-4 loss to the Maple Leafs, that the Bolts would turn it around in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday night.

And that's exactly what they did.

The Bolts were under the gun as they skated onto the ice at Amalie Arena knowing that, without a win Thursday night, their run in the playoffs was over.

The fans were on the edge of their seats when the Leafs took the lead in the second period, 3-2.

Then, in the third period, Nikita Kucherov made his move, whipping the puck past goalie Jack Campbell, tying the game 3-3 and sending the teams into overtime as the crowd yelled "Kooooch!" in unison.

Then, with less than two minutes left in overtime play, Brayden Point picked up the puck in front of the net after Campbell deflected a shot by Alex Killorn.

See related stories:

• Lightning Battle At Home Thursday Night To Remain In Playoffs
• City Of Tampa, Fans Cheer On Bolts As NHL Playoffs Get Underway

It wasn't Point's cleanest goal by any means. He more or less jammed the puck over the goal line. But it proved to be the most crucial play of the game. It gave the Lighting a 4-3 win and paved the way for Game 7 in the best of seven series Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

On defense, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy lived up to his reputation, finishing the game with 30 saves, nine of which happened in overtime.

Point led the team with two points, the overtime goal and a primary assist on Kucherov's game-tying goal in the third period.

In an interview after Tuesday's loss, Cooper commented, "We haven't let the series slip away. We let a game slip away."

He said history was on the Bolts' side.

The Lightning have won seven of their last eight home playoff games. The only loss was in Game 3 against the Maple Leafs.

And the Bolts have trailed in the playoff series six times and have come back to win two of those playoffs.

In 2004, the Lightning was down to Calgary before winning Game 6 in double overtime, winning 3-2. They went on to win Game 7, 2-1, capturing their first Stanley Cup.

Likewise, in 2015, the Bolts were down 3-2 to Detroit in the 2015 Eastern Conference first-round series but ended up defeating the Red Wings 5-2 in Game 6 at Detroit and won the series with a 2-0 victory in Game 7 at Amalie Arena.

2022 First Round Playoffs

• Game 1 May 2 in Toronto - Lighting lost 0-5
• Game 2 May 4 in Toronto - Lightning won 5-3
• Game 3 May 6 home - Lightning lost 2-5
• Game 4 May 8 home - Lightning won 7-3
• Game 5 May 10 in Toronto - Lightning lost 3-4
• Game 6 May 12 home - Lighting won 4-3.