TAMPA, Fla. — Ninety minutes before the opening face-off Friday night, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told his Lightning players how they could get back on track in the Eastern Conference finals.
“We’ve got to play better,” he said. “That’s it.”
Ryan Callahan provided an early spark, Andrei Vasilevskiy made two big saves in the closing minutes to avoid a total third-period collapse, and the Lightning held on for a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins to tie the best-of-seven series 2-2.
Callahan tipped a shot past goalie Matt Murray 17 seconds into the game.