{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Tampa Bay 2, Detroit 0
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Referees: Wes McCauley, Kevin Pollock
Linesmen: Derek Amell, Derek Nansen
Attendance: 19204

TAMPA, Fla. -- In the final period of the final game of the opening round of the playoffs, defenseman Braydon Coburn scored his first goal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, helping his team rally from a 3-2 series deficit to advance with a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Amalie Arena.

Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop earned his first playoff shutout with 31 saves, also a personal playoff high. Tampa Bay added an empty-net goal from defenseman Anton Stralman with 1:19 left to secure the win.

The Lightning, who had trailed 3-2 before a win at Detroit on Tuesday, now move on to face the Montreal Canadiens, starting Friday night in Quebec. Tampa Bay won all five meetings with Montreal in the regular season after being swept by the Canadiens in the opening round last year.

Coburn, limited to just four games in the regular season due to a foot injury suffered after the Lightning acquired him from the Flyers, broke a scoreless tie early in the third period. He one-timed a long shot on an assist from right winger Ryan Callahan, beating Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek to the top right corner of the net.

Detroit had outshot the Lightning 23-12 in the first two periods, but Bishop stepped up, making key saves to outduel Mrazek, who had two shutouts in the series.

Bishop made a close-range save on a shot by Detroit left winger Henrik Zetterberg with 10:54 to play, then a glove save for another stop with 9:20 remaining.

The Lightning nearly took a 2-0 lead late in the third, but a goal by defenseman Anton Stralman with 7:14 remaining was waved off due to a penalty.

The teams played to a scoreless tie entering the third period, with Bishop and Mrazek dueling as they had throughout the series.

Bishop made 23 saves in the first two periods, including a flurry at the end of the second period to keep the shutout going.

Mrazek needed only 12 saves to do the same, including a key stop on a short-handed breakaway by Lightning center Tyler Johnson early in the second period.

Both teams had power-play opportunities -- three each for 4:29 in the first two periods -- but the penalty-kill units continued to play well, a trademark in the series.

Lightning center and captain Steven Stamkos, held scoreless in the first six games of the series, was again quiet early, with only two shots in the first two periods. Johnson, who had six goals in the first six games, was limited to one shot on goal.

Left winger Tomas Tatar, with three goals in the series, led the Red Wings with four shots entering the third period.

The Lightning rallied in the series to force Game 7 -- they trailed 2-0 with six minutes left in Game 4 and won in overtime, then trailed 3-2 in the series before winning Monday in Detroit to force the final game.

NOTES: Detroit played without D Niklas Kronwall, who was suspended one game for charging Lightning RW Nikita Kucherov in Game 6. ... Kronwall and D Marek Zidlicky, who played the first six games in the series, did not dress, and the Red Wings went with D Brendan Smith (fifth game in series) and D Alexey Marchenko (third game). ... The Lightning made rookie LW Jonathan Drouin a healthy scratch for the sixth time in seven games, with RW J.T. Brown and D Mark Barberio also scratched. Brown played in five of the first six games. ... Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria showed his support for the Lightning by having the words "GO BOLTS!" written on his eyeblack during Wednesday's game against the Yankees in New York.
Top Game Performances
 
Detroit   Tampa Bay
N/A Points Braydon Coburn 1
N/A Goals Braydon Coburn 1
N/A Assists Ben Bishop 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Petr Mrazek .938 Save Percentage Ben Bishop 1.000
Petr Mrazek 15 Saves Ben Bishop 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Detroit 31 0 0-3 4-4 10 29
Tampa Bay 17 2 0-4 3-3 8 26
Upcoming Games
  • Tampa Bay will play their next game on the road against Montreal. The Lightning have a W/L % of .560 after a win and .688 after a loss.