NHL-Lightning thrash Canadiens 5-1 in Stanley Cup Finals opener
June 28 (Reuters) - The Tampa Bay Lightning kicked off their NHL title defense in dominant fashion on Monday by downing the Montreal Canadiens 5-1 in front of roaring hometown crowd in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals series.
Slovakian defenseman Erik Cernak got the party started early for the heavily favoured Lighting with a redirect goal in the first period before Yanni Gourde extended the lead to 2-0 in the second as the Canadiens struggled to get a foothold into the game at Amalie Arena.
Montreal, who have defied the odds throughout the postseason as they look to end Canada´s 28-year Stanley Cup drought, showed signs of life later in the second as Ben Chiarot scored on a deflection but the Lightning dished out more pain in the third.
Left wing Ondrej Palat knocked the puck out of midair for Tampa Bay's third score of the night and a laser from post-season points leader Nikita Kucherov extended the lead to 4-1.
With little more than a minute left on the clock, center Steven Stamkos scored the final goal of the night.
The teams will meet in Game 2 in Tampa on Wednesday. (Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Peter Rutherford )
