TAMPA, Fla. -- Only four teams ever came back from a 3-0 deficit in an NHL playoff series. The Montreal Canadiens took the first step in their bid to join that list, staving off elimination Thursday with a dominating 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.

"We're alive. That's what it means," Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban said after the Canadiens beat the Lightning for the first time in nine tries this season. "We're going back to Montreal, and I think we know what the energy in that barn is going to be like."

The Lightning still lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals 3-1, but the Canadiens have momentum. Montreal jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first 30 minutes Thursday, chasing Lightning goalie Ben Bishop early after scoring three goals.

"A goalie who has been so phenomenal since Game 1, finally to be able to score some goals against him, it's good," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said.

The Canadiens' six goals came from six players, while goalie Carey Price was solid in net, stopping 22 of 24 shots.

"It's been two tough games at home for us," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "We were obviously very fortunate to pull out last night's game late ... Montreal dictated a lot of play. Tonight, when they got their opportunities, they scored."

The six goals matched the most allowed by the Lightning in a playoff game since 2006.

Montreal opened the scoring 2:44 into the game when defenseman Andrei Markov scored on a pass from Subban, beating Bishop on the Canadiens' first shot of the game.

Tampa Bay got a power play and a chance to tie the score, but Montreal left winger Max Pacioretty, who assisted on the first goal, caught up to a loose puck for a breakaway and beat Bishop for a short-handed score and a 2-0 lead.

The Canadiens added a third goal with 14:52 left in the second period when center David Desharnais fired a long shot that popped out of the top of Bishop's glove and bounced into the net for a 3-0 lead.

The Lightning pulled Bishop for the first time in 11 playoff games, turning to rookie netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy for his NHL playoff debut.

"He's played a lot of hockey," Cooper said of Bishop. "I thought maybe we'd get a spark out of it, but it definitely wasn't because of Bish's play. ... We're helping them. We've turned out a lot of pucks, uncharacteristically."

The change didn't go well, as Montreal scored twice in Vasilevskiy's first five minutes -- 15 seconds apart -- on goals by defenseman Jeff Petry and right winger Brendan Gallagher for a 5-0 lead.

Tampa Bay got on the scoreboard with 7:34 left in the second period when right winger Nikita Kucherov produced his fourth goal of the playoffs on a pass from left winger Ondrej Palat, who got his fourth assist to cut the lead to 5-1.

The Lightning got a spark early on the power play in the third, cutting the lead to 5-2 just 17 seconds in on Palat's second goal of the playoffs on a perfect pass from red-hot center Tyler Johnson, who recorded his fourth assist.

Montreal answered with a goal for a 6-2 lead, as left winger Brandon Prust scored on a rebound off a shot by center Lars Eller with 15:08 left in the game.

Bishop finished with 11 saves on 14 shots, while Vasilevskiy stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced.

The 179th team to face a 3-0 series deficit in NHL history, Montreal returns home with a chance to win Game 5 on Saturday.

NOTES: The Lightning got C Cedric Paquette back on the ice after he missed Game 3 with an undisclosed injury. Tampa Bay stayed with rookie LW Jonathan Drouin for a second straight game. Veteran LW Brenden Morrow a healthy scratch instead, along with D Mark Barberio and D Nikita Nesterov. ... Montreal G Carey Price didn't lose more than three games in a row at any point during the regular season. He lost three straight on two occasions. ... The Canadiens played back-to-back games on 16 occasions during the regular season and were better in the latter half of those, going 8-7-1 in the first games and 8-4-4 in the second.