Game seven.
One of the greatest sporting events there is.
Win one game, and the dream lives on.
Do. Or die.
That’s what the Tampa bay Lightning faced on Wednesday night when they took on the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Consol Energy Center.
The Lightning had history on their side; entering the contest, the Penguins were 2-5 at home in game sevens all time. Under Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma, the Penguins were 0-5 in games where they had the opportunity to clinch a series at home. And of course, Bolts goaltender Dwayne Roloson sported a 5-0 record in games where his back was against the wall and he was facing elimination.
On this night, behind a huge effort from Roloson, the Tampa Bay Lightning shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins 1-0, setting up a second round date against the Washington Capitals in what will be a Southeast Division battle.
This one started out as expected, with the Penguins making a huge push to get the early lead; even with the help of two first period power plays, they still could not find a way to solve Roloson in the early going. Roloson stopped all 15 shots he saw in the first. The Penguins' power play continued to struggle, coming in to the night with just one goal in the first six games of the series.
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2011.