Canadiens avoid elimination with 2-1 win over the Lightning

Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau broke a tie with 4:07 left and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, on Saturday night to force a sixth game in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

P.K. Subban slipped the puck to Parenteau for a long shot over goalie Ben Bishop’s glove.

Montreal has won two straight to cut Tampa Bay’s series lead to 3-2. Game 6 is Tuesday night in Florida.

“We don’t want this thing to end,” Parenteau said. “We worked hard for each other and we got rewarded. We win two games and hopefully it’s not over.”

The Canadiens are trying to become the fifth team in NHL history to rebound from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, a feat last accomplished last season by Los Angeles.

Devante Smith-Pelly opened the scoring for Montreal midway through the first period, and Steven Stamkos tied it at 9:27 of the third.

“We were confident after Game 3,” Smith-Pelly said. “It was a heart-breaker, but we played the right way. As long as we keep that attitude and keep doing what we’re doing we’ll be all right.”

Carey Price made 24 saves for the Canadiens, and Bishop stopped 27 shots for the Lightning.

Smith-Pelly got Montreal on the board 9:03 into the game on an off-wing wrist shot to the top corner that went in and out so quickly it needed video review.

“It seemed to give everyone a shot of adrenaline,” Smith-Pelly said. “After that goal everyone was into it, the crowd was into it. It felt good.”

Since the start of the series the Canadiens have hit an astonishing number of posts and crossbars, so many that Subban said this week that Bishop was “sitting on a horseshoe.” Subban, Parenteau and Jeff Petry all struck the iron in the second period.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper shook up his units, moving Stamkos from center to right wing with Valtteri Filppula up the middle, and it worked.

Tampa Bay made its push in the third. Moments after Price robbed Filppula from the doorstep with a glove save, Anton Stralman’s blast got through traffic and Stamkos was there to slam it in.