It was 28 years since a Stanley Cup final was last played in Montreal.

It was thus paved for a folk party when excited home fans flocked outside the arena and to the bars to cheer on their Montreal, when the team faced Tampa Bay for the third time.

Around 3,500 lucky ones were let into the Bell Center arena.

The home team had hoped that 7,000 more cheering spectators could have filled the stands, but that put an end to the Quebec province's health authorities.

When the final signal sounded, however, the arena could just as easily have been completely deserted, so quiet was it when disappointed fans pocketed out.

For despite the home crowd, Montreal failed to raw on Tampa's tough defense.

Underdog

After being an underdog throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs - among other things, Montreal turned a 1-3 defeat in matches against the favorite Toronto in the first playoff round - the surprise team is in real trouble.

After two straight away losses, Montreal hoped that the turn would turn at home.

But not even two minutes had passed before Tampa's Jan Rutta put 1-0, among other things played by Swedish star defender Victor Hedman.

Just over 90 seconds later, Hedman himself put a hard shot between the legs of Montreal's goalkeeper Carey Price and it was 2-0 before within the space of 3.5 minutes.

Halfway into the first period, Montreal reduced and the home crowd could have lifted the roof of joy.

But the hope of another great turn was soon dashed.

A win from defending the title

The two subsequent periods followed the same pattern as the first: two goals by Tampa Bay and one by Montreal.

The final score was 6-3, with Tampas setting their final goal in Montreal's empty goal cage in the final minutes.

Montreal fed on with 35 shots, against Tampa's 30. But Tampa's back line, with Victor Hedman, was hard and unforgiving.

Tampa's goal cage was guarded as usual by a stable Andrei Vasilevsky.

Tampa Bay thus leads the final series 3-0 in the best of seven games and is only one win away from defending last year's Stanley Cup victory.

The teams meet again in a potentially decisive match in Montreal, the night before Tuesday, Swedish time.