Tyler Johnson and the quick-strike Tampa Bay Lightning are one win from defending their title following a 6-3 victory Friday night over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Lightning caught the Canadiens flat-footed by scoring twice in the opening minutes of each of the first two periods.
They took a 3-0 series lead, with Game 4 at Montreal on Monday night.
Johnson scored twice and Nikita Kurcherov and Victor Hedman each had a goal and assist.
"It’s awesome any time you can help the team contribute," Johnson said. "We’re obviously one win away now, so that’s all we’re really focused on. We’re working together as a team on it, and we’re trying to create something special."
Added Hedman: "We’re not there yet. We need to win one more game, but we put ourselves in a good position obviously. The fourth one is the hardest one to get, but we’ve got to whatever it takes to win the next game. We’ll think about that after, but at the end of the day, we’ve got more work to do and we’re not satisfied until that time."
Jan Rutta and Blake Coleman, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 31 shots.
If the Lightning lose Monday, the series returns to Tampa for Game 5 on Wednesday. Game 6, if necessary, would be in Montreal on Friday.
