TAMPA, Fla. — The Lightning stay alive with a nerve-wracking 4-3 OT win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brayden Point scored the game-winning goal with 1:56 remaining in the sudden death overtime.
"That’s why you play the game, is to have games like that," Point said after the game. "Lucky enough to come out the right side of it.
"Big players show up at big moments. Pointer was obviously the man tonight to finish that off for us like he’s done so many times," added head coach Jon Cooper. "They were earning something like that to happen to them, and it did."
Tampa Bay improved to 18-0 following a loss since the beginning of the 2020 postseason, but Point said there's still plenty of work to do in this series.
"We know all we did was buy ourselves another chance to keep our season going," he said. "Going into their building, their crowd has been rocking. They play really good there. Just trying to focus on a good start and see what happens in Game seven."
GAME. POINT. pic.twitter.com/RMO35JVEZE
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) May 13, 2022
The Bolts jumped out to an early 1-0 lead before allowing three straight Maple Leafs goals.
Tampa tied the game late in the third period on a 5-3 Power Play goal by Nikita Kucherov.
Andrei Vasilevskiy had 30 saves, nine overtime, to improve to 18-0 in games following a playoff loss over the past three postseasons. Jack Campbell stopped 32 of 36 shots for the Maple Leafs, who are chasing their first playoff series win in 18 years.
PHOTOS | Tampa Bay Lightning beat Maple Leafs in overtime
Game 7 will be in Toronto Saturday. Puck-drop is scheduled for 7 P.M.
The Lightning are trying to become the first team to capture three consecutive Stanley Cup titles since the New York Islanders won four straight from 1980-84.
The Maple Leafs, who’ve been eliminated in the first round each of the past five seasons, are 0-for-their-last-8 in close-out games.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
