Music: {allcanada} Lightning defeat Canadiens, advance to East Final

TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning won't have to go back to Bell Centre for a decisive Game 7.

They are going to the Eastern Conference Final instead.

Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist, and Ondrej Palat had a goal and an assist to lead the Lightning to a 4-1 win Tuesday in Game 6 to win their Eastern Conference Second Round series against the Montreal Canadiens.

After jumping out to a 3-0 series lead and running their winning streak against the Canadiens this season to eight games, the threat of a Game 7 at Bell Centre was looming large for the Lightning, and they openly spoke over the two previous days about how that was the last thing they wanted to do.

They made sure it didn't happen, dominating play from the first intermission onward and getting solid goaltending from Ben Bishop, who made 18 saves to continue his impressive run in his first career appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Lightning will face the winner of Game 7 between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports) in the conference final, reaching the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

The only Lightning players who were also on that 2011 team are defenseman Victor Hedman and captain Steven Stamkos, who finally looked like his usual, dominant self in Game 6 after struggling offensively for much of the playoffs, scoring his third goal of the series.

But the Lightning advanced again because of the "Triplets" line of Kucherov, Palat and center Tyler Johnson. After Johnson dominated the first round with six goals against the Detroit Red Wings, it was Kucherov's turn in the second round with six goals in six games.

Canadiens goaltender Carey Price lost in an elimination game for the first time in eight tries dating to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where he helped Canada win the goal medal. In his previous seven elimination games -- three at the Olympics, two in last season's playoffs and Games 3 and 4 of this series -- Price had allowed five goals on 176 shots.

Price allowed three on 28 shots Tuesday, though it was hardly Price's fault the Canadiens lost.

The first period turned significantly on two plays that took place in a span of less than three minutes just past the midway point, and Canadiens center Tomas Plekanec was in the middle of each.

At the Tampa Bay end, Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher made a great play to chip the puck around Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison and get it in front to Plekanec. Bishop got across and made a pad save on Plekanec, who was all alone but could not elevate the puck, at 13:09.

On Plekanec's next shift he had an opportunity to clear the puck from the Canadiens zone but didn't, and Palat wound up taking a sharp-angled shot on goal that Kucherov tipped into the top corner behind Price at 15:35 for his fifth goal of the series.

Aside from that stretch the first period was evenly played, with the Lightning coming out with a decisive 13-6 edge in shots based on testing Price five times on the lone power play of the opening 20 minutes.

The second period, however, was not evenly played. And that's when the Lightning won the game.

The Canadiens came out for the second looking jittery, unable to string passes together or get the puck through the neutral zone effectively. The Lightning were ready to pounce, and it didn't take long for their captain to do just that.

Stamkos skated into the offensive zone, took a pass in the slot from Alex Killorn and deftly maneuvered the puck in front of Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry before putting a shot over Price's left shoulder at 5:12 of the second to put the Lightning ahead 2-0.

It was Tampa Bay's fourth shot of the period; Montreal did not get its first until a minute later.

The Lightning continued to carry the play through much of the period before Andrej Sustr was called for slashing at 16:05, giving the Canadiens embattled power play an opportunity to make an impact in the series.

It didn't, and when the Lightning got the same opportunity 33 seconds after killing off the Sustr penalty, they capitalized almost immediately.

Palat sent the puck to Kucherov in the corner and cut straight to the net, taking the return pass and quickly beating Price with a shot to the far post for his third of the playoffs at 18:56 of the second, making it 3-0.

The score was fitting, considering it represented the lead the Lightning once held in this series, but the Canadiens made only a minor dent in it when Max Pacioretty scored late in a third period that played out more like a parade toward the inevitable until Kucherov iced it with an empty-net goal with 2:01 to play.

The final period gave the sellout Amalie Arena crowd, one that appeared nervous when the game began, a chance to cheer and exhale a sigh of relief.

Their beloved Lightning players on the ice could do the same thing.