NHL Playoffs Live Blog: Canadiens And Lightning Play Do-Or-Die Game 7

This is it for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens.

Either they win this Game 7 and earn the final spot in the second round of the NHL playoffs, or they get eliminated in crushing fashion.

The Canadiens and Lightning have traded wins all series long, with neither winning two in a row.

If Tampa Bay wants to win at home and book a series with the Buffalo Sabres, the team does need to follow up its Game 6 win with another victory in Game 7. But the Habs will want to keep this pattern going.

Follow along with us as we break down and react to what's happening in Sunday's Game 7. 

Also be sure to stay tuned to The Hockey News' YouTube and social media channels. After the matchup, we're going live with Michael Traikos, Michael Augello and Frank Zawrazky to react to the game and series that were.

Let's get to it. Refresh this page for new updates.

Hey everyone. Adam Proteau here. I'll be your Game 7 Live Blog correspondent. Let's get right down to it, as there's now less than 30 minutes until puck drop:

Tampa Bay came into the series as the heavy favorite for many hockey observers, but the Habs have proven to be a worthy opponent. And yet, in an all-important Game 7, playoff experience could prove to be what pushes the Lightning past the Canadiens.

This is the first kick at the can for some of Montreal's players as far as Game 7s go. In fact, the Canadiens haven't played a Game 7 since the 2013-14 season. And as we all know, the Lightning have all kinds of playoff experience. So as per our first-round playoff predictions, we like the Bolts to win this Game 7 and take on the Buffalo Sabres in Round 2.

But what are your feelings on this game? Let us know in the comment section. 

We're underway. A quick lineup note: no Arber Xhekaj for Montreal, but defenseman Noah Dobson is in the lineup for the first time since April 11. That's an uprade for the Canadiens.

It's been a track meet through the first 12 minutes of the opening period, with both the Bolts and Habs having some excellent scoring chances. Montreal star winger Juraj Slafkovsky hit the post. Neither side is holding back, that's for sure. And both sides are fortunate the game is scoreless.

The Habs get on the scoreboard first, at the 18:39 mark of the first frame. Kaiden Guhle puts the puck on net from the point, and Montreal captain Nick Suzuki deflects it off of Tampa defenseman J.J. Moser and past Andrei Vasilevskiy for his first of the playoffs.

You can't fault Vasilevskiy on that goal, which took two bad bounces in Montreal's favor. And now, the Canadiens have the advantage, and the pressure is solely on the Bolts.

Nine shots on net for Tampa Bay, and four shots for the Canadiens. Let's see what the Lightning's veteran players and coach Jon Cooper have to say about how they come out in the middle period. We'd wager they're going to be highly-aggressive, and laser-focused. 

Some other notes and stats for your consideration: 

1. Tampa's got to be better finishers. Gage Concalves had some glorious chances, didn't convert. And while the Lightning did have nine shots on net, only one of them came from star winger Nikita Kucherov. Brandon Hagel didn't have a shot on net in the first. Neither did Corey Perry, Jake Guentzel or Anthony Cirelli. Montreal did have some issues defending in the first, but limiting Tampa's stars from having offensive impacts is part of the reason why the Canadiens are winning.

2. This is the type of game where you really miss Victor Hedman. He's a well-renowned calming influence, and that's what the Lightning needed more of in the opening frame. Hedman has been skating of late, and that's great to see. If Tampa Bay does win Game 7, they're going to need Hedman back A.S.A.P. if they're to get to the Stanley Cup final. But in part because of his absence in Game 7, the Lightning may not get to that point.

We're back underway, and the Lightning continue pressing on the Habs, who get called for the first penalty of the game when defenseman Mike Matheson gets called for tripping Cirelli. Tampa Bay needs to make the most of this opportunity.

The result: Tampa Bay did not make the most of that opportunity. And with 11 seconds left, Brayden Point gets penalized for holding. Montreal to the power play.  

Canadiens not only fail to score on their first man-advantage, they fail to register even a single shot -- on the PP and in the second period. Lightning now are out-shooting Montreal 18-4. Jakub Dobes is really earning his keep.

Guhle called for holding at 12:33 of the second, and on the ensuing power play...Tampa Bay scores to make it 1-1. Dominic James' seccond goal of the playoffs is a deflection past Dobes.

Montreal is still looking for their first shot of the second period, with only 5:35 left to play in the period. Safe to say the momentum has shifted clearly in the direction of the Lightning.

Colossal mistake with 4:38 left in the second: Tampa called for too-many-men on the ice. You rarely see undisciplined stuff like that from Tampa Bay. But they killed off the penalty, and Montreaal *still* hasn't recordded a shot this period. Crazy stuff.

Yes, the Canadiens were able to pull it off -- they played the entire second period without generating even a single shot. Montreal did limit Tampa Bay to nine shots in the second, but the overall shooting disparity was 21-4. You're not going to win many games if you have four shots through two periods. Dobes is holding the game together for his Habs teammates, and the Bolts will continue to test him many times before this game is over.

Stop us if you heard this one before: the Canadiens have not generated a single shot through the first three-and-a-half minutes of the third. It's getting so bad, the Sportsnet broadcast had a tracker for Montreal's first shot in more than 21 (game-time) minutes.

The Lightning, on the other hand, are doing all the great work, and they have only one goal to show for it. That often can mean the team that is better winds up losing on a fluke goal. Let's see if we're right. Oh, and Gage Concalves missed on another high-stakes shot, He could be haunted all summer if the Bolts get eliminated.

Energy shifted in Montreal -- bit with 8:53 left in the third, the Habs take the lead when Alex Newhook bats the puck past Vasilevskiy. An extremelly-skilled goal, and now that we're past the halfway point of the third, the Newhook goal felt like a back-breaker.

Newhook's goal has the building in Tampa shaking. And while the Canadiens suffered a huge blow by giving up the lead they'd built, we're still going to see the Boltts  come out roaring in the final stretch here.

Time winding down.

The Lightning could not come back from Montreal's second lead of the game. And in a result that will shock many hockey observers, the Canadiens have elimnated the Bolts. Tampa B ad a power play late in regulation, but in the 6.3 seconds they did have the power play, they couldn't get anything through on Dobes. What.a surprise. Montreal is going ballistic right now.

In the end, the Canadiens' choice to ride with as their starting goalie gave them a standout performance, turning aside 28 of 29 Tampa Bay shots. Dobes kept them in the game, and then Montreal got the series-winning goal from Newhook in what will be a lifetime playing moment. 

So, while Dobes will get his share of the credit in producing the Canadiens' upset of the Lightning, the truth is they were probably a little bit lucky. And we say that with all due respect, as every great team needed a bit of good fortune to get to a championship.

The Canadiens now will take on the Buffalo Sabres in the second rounAnd once again, Montreal will be the underdog. But that's probably the way they like it. Martin St-Louis can watch his 'Seinfeld' show (he's on Season 4), the Canadiens can rest up, and the entire team feels no pressure, even if that's an impossile goal.

The Sabres are as fast as Montreal is, and the Canadiens are as skilled as Buffalo is. It's all adding up to be a must-watch series.