Tampa Bay leads 2-1 when Blake Coleman scores and dives with just 2 seconds remaining in the second quarter. (0:53).TAMPA (Fla.) -- Blake Coleman's diving attempt with just two seconds left in the second period would have been remarkable by itself, except that the winger had made a similar highlight reel play before. There were also highlights before this.Coleman's second-period buzzer beater was the winner in Game 2 on Wednesday as the Lightning defeated Montreal Canadiens 3-1. This gave them a 2-0 series lead.Coleman, 29 years old, scored a similar goal during Game 2 in the second round of the 2020 playoffs. He also did it in October 2019, while playing for the New Jersey Devils."Literally, I thought he had done it again. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay coach. "Different situations, but it was remarkably alike. It was all about the timing.Coleman, third-line winger, gave credit to the play to his "reflex."Coleman stated, "I knew there was a backchecker and I tried to beat him to it to the puck." "I don’t believe anybody is going to dive on the ice. But that was all I had, and Goody [linemate Barclay Goodrow] put the puck in a good spot. It was a huge win for our team, though I'm not sure why.After his goal in the second period, Tampa Bay's Blake Coleman glides on the ice. This gave his team a lead of 2-1. Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty ImagesDespite being outplayed, the Lightning won Game 2.Cooper stated, "It was definitely an unremarkable group game we had going on."According to Natural Stat Trick, Montreal beat Tampa Bay 43-23. Since 1960, the minus-20 shot differential has been the second-largest negative difference by a team in a Cup Finals match by multiple goals.Coleman's goal breaking a 1-1 tie gave the Lightning extra energy going into the third period.Ryan McDonagh, Lightning defenseman, said that he didn't know how much time was left. "I was just looking up, not actually watching the play. I didn't see the ball go in. I was watching the clock, and thankfully, there was still half an second. Night in and night out, this line is still in play: Close guys out, good defense, and some timely goals.Coleman scored Coleman's first goal since May 16th, when he scored against the Florida Panthers in the Lightning's playoff opener.The Canadiens were outsmarted by the Lightning's lead in the third period."I thought that we played a hell of a hockey match," Canadiens veteran Corey Perry stated. "But it wasn't enough, and we have to find that extra gear.In the Stanley Cup Final, teams leading by 2-0 have won 46 of 51 series (90%). The 2011 Boston Bruins versus the Vancouver Canucks was the last team to overcome a series deficit of 2-0 to win the Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup Finals was won by the Canucks in 2011, the last Canadian-based team before the Canadiens.Now, the series moves back to Montreal for Game 3 Friday. Although the Lightning increased their capacity by 18,600 in Game 2, it will not be the same atmosphere on Friday. Quebec's health officials denied Wednesday the Canadiens' request to increase their capacity by 50%. This equates to 10,500 people. The Bell Centre will therefore have only 3,500 available for Games 3 and 4.Perry stated that the playoffs were so close. Perry added, "The games are so minimal, a bounce here and a bounce there. A timely goal, whatever it may be, the games seem so small." It's one of those things. They get a short break at the end. It's a momentum swing. We played well tonight, I thought. We had many great opportunities. We were skating. We were forechecking. The puck was on the table for most of the night. We'll continue doing that and we'll keep them down."
