DETROIT – Home ice hasn’t provided much of an advantage in this first-round playoff series.
The Detroit Red Wings hope it stays that way for one more game.
The Tampa Bay Lightning staved off elimination Monday with a 5-2 victory at Joe Louis Arena, forcing Game 7 Wednesday at Amalie Arena.
Tyler Johnson scored a pair of goals as the Lightning grabbed a three-goal lead and held off the Red Wings’ comeback attempt.
Tomas Tatar scored both of Detroit’s goals.
The visiting team has won the past three games and four of the six. The winner will face the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference semifinals. That series is expected to start Friday at Bell Centre, with Game 2 on Sunday.
Tatar cut his team’s deficit to 3-2 at 1:39 of the third with his second goal of the night, his third of the series. After Pavel Datsyuk won an offensive-zone faceoff, Tatar picked up the puck in front of the net, spun and slid it under Ben Bishop.
The Red Wings applied some pressure, spending most of the period in the offensive zone, before the Lightning capitalized on a break.