Detroit Red Wings Lose To Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 In Game 7

The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Detroit Red Wings, 2-0, in Game 7 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series on April 29. Tampa Bay will move on to face the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are moving on in the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tampa Bay beat the Detroit Red Wings, 2-0, in Game 7 of their first-round series on April 29 behind defenseman Braydon Coburn’s third-period goal and netminder Ben Bishop’s shutout, per Bryan Burns of the Lightning’s official website.  

#TBLightning shutout Detroit, 2-0, advance to the Second Round of #StanleyCup Playoffs. RECAP: http://t.co/hsXhLFbBhy pic.twitter.com/GsAebMbDva— X – @TBLightning (@TBLightning) April 30, 2015

Coburn’s first career goal as a member of the Lightning came with three minutes and 58 seconds into the third period to break a scoreless tie, per ESPN’s Katie Strang. He lined up a slap shot from the right circle and managed to put the puck in the net past Red Wings goaltender Petr Mrazek, per Burns. 

Lightning forward and alternate captain Ryan Callahan was credited with the assist, per the team’s official website. 

According to Strang, Coburn went on a 28 playoff-game-drought before scoring the goal that swung the momentum of the game, and ultimately the series, in Tampa Bay’s favor.

Joe Smith of The Tampa Bay Times asked Coburn on Wednesday how that special moment felt.  

“Special,” Coburn told Smith. “One I’ll definitely always remember.”

Game 7 = ✅

More from @michellegingras in Bolts Today: http://t.co/9PJUQVZEtr— X – @TBLightning (@TBLightning) April 30, 2015

For his part, Bishop told ESPN after the game he was relieved more than anything else.

“Relief,” he told Strang. “There was a lot of time left on the clock. You don’t get too excited, but definitely nice to get that first one.”  

The Lightning acquired Coburn in a trade deadline deal with the Philadelphia Flyers for Radko Gudas, a first-round draft pick and a third-round draft pick, per Burns.

This prompted Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper to look back at the trade, per Smith.

“When that goal went in,” he told The Tampa Bay Times.”I looked up and said, ‘Oh, what a great (trade).'”

What an amazing, amazing fan base we have! Thank you for your support – see you in Round 2! #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/cB6K4fFJhL— X – @TBLightning (@TBLightning) April 30, 2015

The Lightning became the only team in the series to win two consecutive games. They rallied from a 3-2 deficit to win on the road in Game 6 and then Game 7 before a delirious sellout crowd at Amalie Arena, per the team’s official website. 

Tampa Bay almost got another goal later in the period when defenseman Anton Stralman made a move toward the middle of the ice and then shot the puck into the net. However, the officials called the goal off due to minor penalties called on the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos and the Red Wings’ Riley Sheahan, per Strang.

Bishop wound up with 31 saves, 23 of which came during the first two periods, per Burns. 

Stamkos told Burns people now have no reason to doubt his goaltender:

“You could just tell, he just had that calming presence in the net. I know a lot of people were questioning him, this being his first playoffs, this being his first Game 7. Well, now it’s not. Now he has a shutout in his first Game 7.

#TBLightning to face Canadiens in Second Round of the #StanleyCup Playoffs. Dates/ticket info: http://t.co/2feriYWL73 pic.twitter.com/2RCM4NDTCd— X – @TBLightning (@TBLightning) April 30, 2015

“He’s been arguably the best player for us the last couple seasons, so we have a lot of confidence in him.”

Anton Stralman scored an empty-net goal with 1:18 left in the game to finish off the scoring, per the Lightning’s official website. 

With the Lightning’s win on Wednesday, Burns stresses home teams upped their all-time win-loss record to 93-65 (.633) against road teams in Game 7s.

“They went to church,” Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock told Smith. “We must have missed mass.”

The Lightning will now move on to face the Montreal Canadiens in the second round. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is set for Friday, /4/1, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, at 7 p.m. ET per Burns.

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