Lightning beat Canadiens, take 2-0 lead in Stanley Cup Final

June 30 (UPI) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning earned a 3-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 on Wednesday at Amalie Arena in Florida to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Canadiens outshot the Lightning 43-23 and controlled the game for long stretches, but Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy -- the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy -- made a playoff career-best 42 saves to keep his team afloat in the victory.

"It's no secret he's the reason we were still in this game," Lightning forward Blake Coleman said. "[Then] we made the big plays when it mattered."

Anthony Cirelli gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead with 13:20 left in the second period after he snuck a blue-line shot under Canadiens netminder Carey Price.

A few minutes later, Montreal forward Nick Suzuki tossed a backhander toward the net that managed to trickle past Vasilevskiy on the power play.

Both teams appeared ready to enter the third period locked in a 1-1 tie. Coleman, however, beat the buzzer with a one-armed, diving goal near the end of the second frame to put the Lightning ahead 2-1.

Ondrej Palat took advantage of a turnover in the Canadiens' defensive zone and scored to make it 3-1 with 4:18 remaining in the game, clinching the win for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

The best-of-seven series shifts to Montreal for Games 3 and 4. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. EDT at Bell Centre.