PENGUINS, LIGHTNING VIE FOR STANLEY CUP FINAL BERTH THURSDAY IN GAME 7 OF EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning will play a decisive Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday, May 26, at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh (8 p.m., ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS).
The Penguins will be contesting their sixth Game 7 in the past eight playoff seasons, including a 1-0 loss to the Lightning in the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Lightning forward Sean Bergenheim scored the only goal of the game and goaltender Dwayne Roloson posted a 36-save shutout against a Penguins roster missing injured forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
The Lightning enter Thursday’s game with an all-time Game 7 winning percentage of .833 (5-1), including a pair of shutout victories in 2015 en route to the Stanley Cup Final — 2-0 decisions over the Detroit Red Wings in the First Round and the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final. The Lightning have surrendered just three goals in their six Game 7 appearances.
Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman is undefeated in Game 7s (7-0), as is forward Brian Boyle (6-0) and defenseman Matt Carle (5-0). Stralman is one of just six players in NHL history to win seven consecutive Game 7s. The others to do so: Brad Richards (8-0 in his career), Marian Gaborik (7-0), Red Kelly (7-0), Mike Richards (7-0) and Justin Williams (7-0). The only players who have earned more career Game 7 victories than Stralman are Brad Richards, Glenn Anderson and Ray Bourque, each with eight.
Penguins forward Carl Hagelin will face the Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive year. Hagelin, who is 6-1 in a team-leading seven career Game 7 appearances, skated for the Rangers in 2015.
Neither starting goaltender for Game 6 of the series, Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray or Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, has appeared in a Game 7 in the NHL.
The winner of Thursday’s game will face the Western Conference Champion San Jose Sharks in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final beginning Monday, May 30.
Game 7 Trends:
- Home teams are 96-69 (.582) all-time in Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including a 2-2 mark in 2016.
- The team that scores first is 123-42 all-time (.745), including a 4-0 mark in 2016.
- Forty Game 7s have required overtime (40-of-165, 24.2%). Home and road teams each have 20 wins.
- The Penguins and Lightning will contest a Game 7 for the second time in as many playoff meetings. In the seventh game of the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Dwayne Roloson made 36 saves and Sean Bergenheim scored the lone goal in Tampa Bay’s 1-0 victory at PIT.
- The Lightning hold an all-time record of 5-1 in Game 7s, including a pair of shutout victories in 2015 en route to the Stanley Cup Final. Tampa Bay has surrendered just three goals in their six Game 7 appearances.
- The Penguins will skate in their sixth Game 7 in the past eight playoff seasons. They are 7-7 all-time in such contests (2-7 at home) with their last victory coming in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final at DET.
- Tampa Bay defenseman Anton Stralman is undefeated in Game 7s (7-0), as is forward Brian Boyle (6-0) and defenseman Matt Carle (5-0).
* Information provided via NHL Press Release
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