TAMPA, Fla. -- Even as his team lost two straight games, facing the potential of a Game 7 on the road with another loss, center Steven Stamkos wasn't worried about the Tampa Bay Lightning going into Tuesday night's game.

"(Up) 3-2 going home, that's a pretty good spot. You'd take that in any series," Stamkos said. "The playoffs, I think it's easier to forget about the last game. Every game starts fresh."

The Lightning bounced back at home, getting a huge night from goalie Ben Bishop in eliminating the Montreal Canadiens from the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 4-1 win at Amalie Arena, taking the series 4-2 and advancing to the conference finals for just the third time in their history.

"We've learned that our goalie steps up in big-time situations," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of Bishop, who outdueled likely Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price. "The longer a series goes on, it seems Ben gets better and better and better."

Tampa Bay, which had seen a 3-0 series lead shrink to 3-2, bounced back and played with confidence, despite having to go without right winger Ryan Callahan, sidelined after an emergency appendectomy Monday night. Fans proudly held up signs with his "24" jersey number in the stands, and his teammates played like a team with purpose.

"He was a big topic of discussion before the game, that he likely would not play the rest of this series," Cooper said. "We did not want this to happen to Ryan. All he's done for us, he's such a big part of our team. It was like a rallying cry for our guys. It's impressive to watch this team grow in such a short time."

Three more goals from the Lightning's red-hot line of right winger Nikita Kucherov, left winger Ondrej Palat and center Tyler Johnson started and ended the Tampa Bay scoring. Kucherov opened the scoring in the first period and closed it out with an empty netter late in the third. Palat scored in the second period, as did Stamkos, making the score 3-0 heading into the third.

"We dug too big a hole for ourselves, weren't able to come out of it," said Montreal left winger Max Pacioretty, who scored his team's lone goal with 4:57 left in the final period. "We played with a lot of speed and intensity for four of the first five games. We weren't as sharp tonight. They obviously deserved that game and the series as well."

Kucherov started things when he redirected a wide shot from Palat. The puck squeezed just between Price and the near post for a 1-0 lead with 4:25 left in the first period.

Stamkos doubled the Lightning advantage just over five minutes into the second when he took a pass from forward Alex Killorn and beat Price with a wicked wrister from the slot through a defender for his third goal of the playoffs. Killorn picked up his sixth assist on the play.

Landing a power play with 1:22 left in the second period, the Lightning took advantage quickly, as Palat scored his third of the playoffs with 1:04 left, the assist coming on a drop pass from Kucherov.

"You have to give the Lightning a lot of credit. They played their best game of the series tonight," Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. "Physically and mentally we were drained. I'm disappointed, but those things happen."

The Lightning await the winner of Wednesday night's Game 7 between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. Games 1 and 2 will be in Tampa with a Capitals win, or in New York if the Rangers advance.

The Lightning only advanced this far twice before, in winning the Stanley Cup in 2004 and in losing in the Eastern finals in 2011.

NOTES: The Lightning played without RW Ryan Callahan, who was hospitalized Monday and underwent an emergency appendectomy. He was released Tuesday morning but was a pregame scratch. There is no immediate timetable for his return. ... The Lightning had D Mark Barberio, LW Jonathan Drouin and C Vladislav Namestnikov as healthy scratches, with rookie C Jonathan Marchessault making his playoff debut. ... Montreal opted to play RW Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (seven previous games in the 2015 playoffs) and D Nathan Beaulieu (four), with C Brian Flynn (six) and D Greg Pateryn (seven) as scratches.