from Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times,

It took a little longer than expected, but that doesn't matter now. Maybe the Lightning scared the thunder out of you, but who cares? It hasn't always been pretty or perfect, but that does not mean a thing.

One and only one thing does matter: The Lightning is moving on.

Two series down. Two to go. Survive and advance. The Stanley Cup dream remains alive and well.

Next up: maybe a familiar face (the Rangers' Marty St. Louis) or a familiar foe (the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin). The Big Apple or the nation's capital.

The Lightning doesn't care which. It will go anywhere. It will play anyone. It is just happy not to be going back to Montreal to play the Canadiens in a Game 7.

"We didn't want to get on an airplane and go back to Montreal," Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop said. "I thought it was probably our best game of the series."

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