Lightning 1, Penguins 0
Sean Bergenheim scored at 5:41 of the second period and Dwayne Roloson made 36 saves as the fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning recorded a 1-0 road victory over the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series Wednesday.
Dominic Moore and Steve Downie each notched an assist for the Lightning, who overcame a 3-1 series deficit and will face the top-seeded Washington Capitals in the conference semifinals.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22 shots for Pittsburgh, which fell to 2-5 in Game 7s at home.
Tampa Bay was fortunate to escape the first period with a scoreless tie after being outshot by a 15-7 margin. It proved quality is more important than quantity in the second session, cashing in on its first shot to take the lead.
Moore, who set up Bergenheim for a goal in Game 6 with a nifty setup, made a similiar play in this one to help put the Lightning ahead. From behind the net, Moore made a backhand pass to Bergenheim, who buried it from the right side as Fleury already had moved to the left post anticipating a stuff attempt.
Roloson turned aside 15 shots in the first period, seven in the second and 14 in the third en route to his second career playoff shutout. The 41-year-old improved to 6-0 lifetime in elimination games in the postseason.
Pittsburgh had a chance to forge a tie as Tampa Bay's Nate Thompson was called for slashing with 93 seconds remaining in the third. But with Fleury pulled for an extra attacker to give the Penguins a 6-on-4 advantage, they were able to register only one shot on goal and finished the series 1-for-35 on the power play.