3 moments that mattered as Lightning avoid elimination with Game 6 win

MONTREAL - The Lightning didn't shy away from the magnitude of their must-win Game 6 against the Canadiens Friday at Bell Centre. Yes, their season was on the line, as they trailed 3-2 in the first-round series, but they also were staring at the possibility of four straight first-round playoff exits.

Outside the arena, Canadiens fans were prepared to douse themselves in Molson. Inside, the most hostile crowd in hockey was jumping at the opportunity to be an X-factor.

The Lightning have tempted fate all season long, but it's also brought out the best in them.

And in Game 6, they played like there might be no tomorrow.

Make no mistake, this series has been a classic one from the start, and you never see a scoreless game through 60 minutes that is so wide open. But neither goaltender budged until the end.

Here are three moments that mattered:

Gage in the clutch

The game came down to a sloppy goal in front as Gage Goncalves cleaned up his second chance 9:03 into overtime. It came after Brandon Hagel made a move above the right circle to free himself, then got the puck to Dominic James, who put the initial shot on goaltender Jakub Dobes. Goncalves, who was moved down to the fourth line after playing primarily in a top-six role, put his second attempt past Dobes to silence the shocked crowd.

Vasilevskiy survives siege

The power plays dried up in Game 6, as the officials let both teams play. But Montreal was pushing after Charle-Edouard D'Astous took a slashing penalty with 3:06 left in the second period. But Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who saw the winning goal go off his glove in Game 5, made a pair of tremendous saves on Canadiens forward Ivan Demidov. Nick Suzuki sent a cross-slot pass to Demidov at the right circle. Vasilevslky cut off the right post to stop Demidov's initial one-timer with his left pad, then snagged Demidov's backhand attempt out of the air to keep the game scoreless.

Danault to the rescue

Corey Perry, who was put on the Lightning's second line with Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point, needed to do more Corey Perry things - namely, cause havoc in front of the net. And at 5:34 of the second period, Perry cleaned up a loose puck in front, beating Dobes in front between the legs. But Canadiens forward Phillip Danault, a teammate of Perry's in Montreal and this season with the Kings before both were moved at the trade deadline, swept in from the far side and pulled the puck off the goal line.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 7:57 PM.