Clinging to a one-goal lead as the seconds ticked down in the winner-take-all Game 7 Wednesday night at Amalie Arena, members of the Tampa Bay Lightning on the bench were pacing nervously, while those on the ice were frantically trying to keep the puck away from the Detroit Red Wings.
It was something they had trouble doing all evening.
Until a long, dribbling clearing effort from defenseman Anton Stralman found its way into the net vacated by goaltender Petr Mrazek in favor of an extra attacker, the game and series remained in doubt.
Doubt hasn’t been something the Lightning have experienced much of this season, but they’ll face plenty of it in the second round of the NHL playoffs after narrowly surviving the first with a 2-0 win over the Red Wings in a game dominated by the visitors everywhere but in the final score.