First round: Lightning-Maple Leafs Game 6 live updates

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Brayden Point scored with less than two minutes remaining in overtime, and the Lightning survived the Maple Leafs 4-3 Thursday at Amalie Arena to extend their opening-round playoff series to a seventh and deciding game.

By avoiding elimination, Tampa Bay forced a Game 7 Saturday night in Toronto and kept its hopes for a third straight Stanley Cup championship alive for at least another game.

The Lightning jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Ondrej Palat and Anthony Cirelli, but the Maple Leafs scored three times in the second period — including twice by John Tavares over the final 34 seconds — to take a 3-2 lead into the third.

High-sticking penalties against David Kampf and Alex Kerfoot gave Tampa Bay 5-on-3 advantage in the third period, and Nikita Kucherov took advantage, scoring at 9:20 to send the game to overtime.

Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 30 of 33 shots, none more important than the nine he saved in the extra period.

Here’s how it happened:

Overtime

Good pressure from Lightning to start the period

McDonagh shot from left point blocked by Tavares

Vasilevskiy stops Kerfoot at the doorstep on 3-on-2

Colton can’t connect with Hagel on cross-ice pass

Vasilevskiy stops Engvall shot from left circle

Vasilevskiy robs Mikheyev from left circle with glove save after Engvall pokes puck off Colton’s stick

Vasilevskiy saves Matthews shot from left circle

Maple Leafs ice the puck

Point can’t get stick on Killorn centering pass as his stick is tied up

Cirelli slap shot blocked by Holl

Stamkos bad-angle shot from low in the right circle saved by Campbell

McDonagh shot into traffic deflected wide

Vasilevskiy stops Kampf shot from the slot off the rush after pass from Lyubushkin

Vasilevskiy gloves Giordano shot from the left point

Puck knocked off Marner’s stick by Cernak as he drives the net after turnover by Hedman

Rielly sharp-angle shot saved by Vasilevskiy

Foote shot blocked out of play by Muzzin

Maple Leafs ice the puck

Giordano drops to the ice and possibly prevents a Point goal

Muzzin wrist shot from center point is blocked

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Marner shot blocked and goes out of the zone

Killorn shot from slot blocked by Lyubushkin

Sergachev makes great defensive play to keep rebound away from Mikheyev as he drives to the net

Vasilevskiy saves Giordano shot from the left point

Foote blocks Mikheyev shot from the slot

Maple Leafs ice the puck

Cirelli shot from left circle misses high to the glove side

Marner shot from right side goes wide

Hedman wrist shot from long range gloved by Campbell

Marner crossing pace tipped wide by Matthews

LIGHTNING GOAL! Brayden Point scores the winner with 1:56 remaining in the overtime period. Lightning win 4-3.

Third period

Vasilevskiy stops Michael Bunting shot from the left circle

Stamkos shot blocked by Muzzin

Cernak shot saved by Campbell

Stamkos shot blocked hit Nylander

Kucherov shot blocked

Sergachev wrist shot misses high

Paul passes to Hagel, who crashes into Campbell, but the puck stays out of the net

Bunting shot from the right side misses high

Kucherov shot from right circle goes wide

Campbell saves Foote shot from the right point

Kampf penalized for high-sticking, putting the Lightning on the power play with 11:48 remaining.

Kerfoot penalized for high-sticking Hedman, and the Lightning will have a two-man advantage for 1:45.

Stamkos shot from left circle blocked by Brodie

Campbell makes save on Kucherov from low on right side

Kucherov misses high

Marner breaks up a pass and clears the puck out of the zone

LIGHTNING GOAL! Kucherov scores from the right circle with Cirelli and Corey Perry setting screens in front on a 5-on-3. Lightning 3, Maple Leafs 3.

There are still 58 seconds remaining in the 5-on-4 power play

Kucherov shot saved by Campbell

The 5-on-4 power play has expired

Vasilesvskiy saves Nylander shot from the right circle

Muzzin shot from the left circle blocked by Bogosian

Vasilevskiy stops Tavares and Kerfoot in quick succession with 5:49 to play

Killorn shoots wide off the rush

Campbell saves Hedman shot from long range

Hagel shoots behind Campbell and through the crease after Paul skated out from behind the net and made a nice cross-ice pass

Lightning ice the puck with 41.8 seconds to play

Lightning win defensive-zone faceoff against Matthews

Lightning ice the puck

Paul blocks Matthews shot from the left circle

Vasilevskiy saves Nylander shot with 17.7 left

Vasilevskiy smothers Riley shot from the right point with two Maple Leafs in front

(Lightning and Maple Leafs tied at 3 after regulation)

Second period

Lightning will have 1:33 remaining on the power play to start the period

Bouncing pass for Kerfoot steered clear of the net by Vasilevskiy

Hedman slap shot from the center point blocked

Bogosian shot from the right point goes high over Campbell’s shoulder

Giordano wrist shot from the right point is tipped up over the net

Hagel blocks a Kase shot off the shin pad and appears the worse for wear

Vasilevskiy makes back to back saves on Ilya Lyubushkin from the high slot and Matthews from the left circle

McDonagh shot from the left circle saved by Campbell

Muzzin shot from the right circle off misses wide

Kucherov moves around a defender and gets off a backhand shot that Campbell fights off

Bogosian drive from the point saved by Campbell

Cernak pass picked off by Marner, but the Lightning recover

Cal Foote penalized for hooking Mikheyev, putting Toronto on the power play, 10:58 left in the period

Vasilevskiy puts his stick down to thwart Marner attempt from the side of the net

Nylander shot from the left circle is blocked, and the Lightning clear the puck

Sergachev knocks Nylander off the puck, and the Lightning get another clear

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare skates the puck out of the Tampa Bay zone

LIGHTNING GOAL! Cirelli scores shorthanded, leaning into Mark Giordano, then spinning and flinging a shot at the net. Lightning lead 2-0.

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: Matthews scores on a tip in front of a Giordano shot that appeared to be going wide of the net. Lightning lead 2-1.

Engvall spins and flings a shot at the net, and Vasilevskiy stops Kampf backhander from in front

Rielly shot misses high

Stamkos shot from the right circle redirected past the far post

Vasilevskiy stops Kerfoot wrister from low in the right circle with Kase crashing from the opposite side

Mikheyev shot from in tight doesn’t go

Holl poke-checks puck off Kucherov’s stuck in the left circle after Kucherov had him beaten

Foote prevents Mikheyev from getting shot away after a stretch pass

Campbell stops Palat shot

Stamkos shot blocked by Matthews

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: John Tavares scores after a shot from the left circle crept up and over Vasilevskiy with 0:33 to play. Lightning 2, Maple Leafs 2.

MAPLE LEAFS GOAL: John Tavares scores top shelf with 7.8 seconds left in the period. Maple Leafs lead 3-2

(Maple Leafs lead 3-2 after two periods)

First period

William Nylander shoots wide of Andrei Vasilevskiy

Steven Stamkos shot from the right circle off the rush misses high

Zach Bogosian defends against 2-on-1 and then knocks down Nylander

Auston Matthews centering pass knocked away by Vasilevskiy

Alex Kerfoot misses Ilya Mikheyev with stretch pass

Ryan McDonagh wrist shot saved by Jack Campbell

Cal Foote shot from the right point knocked down in front

Ondrej Kase shot from the right circle blocked by Erik Cernak

Mikheyev wrist shot misses wide

Alex Killorn backhander saved by Campbell

TJ Brodie blocks Anthony Cirelli shot

David Kampf quick shot from the slot blocked by Brayden Point, goes up and over the net

Campbell saves Ondrej Palat blast from the inner left circle after a nice pass from Steven Stamkos, then leaps in the air to snare the rebound

Cal Foote wrist shot into traffic deflects into the corner

Nikita Kucherov shot from the slot saved by Campbell after a faceoff win by Stamkos

Cernak shot from the right point saved by Campbell

Auston Matthews shot off the rush saved by Vasilevsky after Nylander sprung free into the Lightning zone

Kase shot from low in the left circle saved by Vasilevskiy after nice pass from Colin Blackwell

Pierre Engvall shot from the right point blocked by McDonagh

Justin Holl penalized for interference, Nick Paul for embellishment, setting up 4-on-4 for two minutes

Vasilevskiy stops Nylander shot from the left circle after Nylander stripped Kucherov off the puck in the neutral zone

Point drives the net but can’t get a shot off

LIGHTNING GOAL! Palat scores top shelf from the right circle after a blind backwards pass by Alex Kerfoot sends him in alone into the Maple Leafs zone. Lightning lead 1-0.

Marner shot saved by Vasilevskiy after Cirelli turnover in the neutral zone

Morgan Rielly penalized for tripping Palat, putting the Lightning on the power play

Campbell stops one-timer from Stamkos

(Lightning lead 1-0 after one period)

Pregame scouting report

It all comes down to tonight.

Well, and Saturday night, the Lightning hope. And beyond.

Beat the Maple Leafs in Game 6 of their opening-round series tonight at Amalie Arena, and the Bolts will force a do-or-die Game 7 Saturday in Toronto. Win there, and they’ll advance to the second round of the playoffs.

But lose tonight, and their hopes for a three-peat will end suddenly on the same ice where they hoisted a second straight Stanley Cup just 10 months ago.

How did we get to this point so quickly?

Start with a third-place finish in the Atlantic Division during the regular-season that resulted in a first-round showdown against a team that matches up well against the Lightning, one that can match their offensive firepower, has an even better power play and creates dangerous scoring chances even on the penalty kill.

Add a tightly called series that limited the amount of 5-on-5 play and Tampa Bay’s propensity for committing senseless penalties, such as delay of game, too many men on the ice or careless stick fouls.

Blow a two-goal lead when you had a chance to move ahead for the first time in the series in Game 5, and you find yourself where the Lightning do: fighting for your playoff life.

Not that the situation is hopeless, by any means. Tampa Bay has risen to the occasion time and time again over the past three postseasons, winning 16 consecutive times in games immediately following a loss, including twice already in this series.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy typically is at his best when his team has needed him most, and stars Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point seem to thrive under pressure.

The Lightning also have an experienced locker room that has won eight consecutive postseason series dating to 2020, while the Maple Leafs have not advanced beyond the first round since 2004, losing their past eight series-clinching games.

Of course, the Bolts still have to get the job done on the ice. And that will mean playing with pace, doing a better job defensively, staying out of the penalty box and locking the Leafs down late if they get the lead.

Follow our live updates, starting at 7:30 p.m., as the Lightning hope to stave off elimination and keep their championship hopes alive for at least another game.

Game day scene

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