After a 4-3 loss, the Penguins are now tied with the Lighting in the series 2-2. Last game, Marc-Andre Fleury was put in the net halfway through the third period, and he has been named the Game 5 starter.
Matt Murray has been looking fatigued in the net and having a change in goalies may be what the Penguins need to come back in the playoffs.
Both Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have been slowly making a return as they have both earned points this round. Having Malkin, Crosby and Fleury back on the ice together could mean great things for the Penguins in tonight’s game.
Defenseman Trevor Daley is out for the remainder of the season with a broken ankle.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning have been outplaying the Penguins when it comes to speed and goaltending. That could be the edge the Lightning need in the Easter Conference Finals.
The return of Ryan Callahan for the team has helped the Lightning to be one step ahead of the Penguins. After having a controversial round so far, Callahan finally had a decent game on Friday which helped the team to keep the Penguins from scoring that final goal.
Prediction
With the “dream team” potentially back for the Penguins, there is a good chance that the team will win tonight’s game. That is, as long as they play like they played the third period Friday.
Due to the fact that the speed of the Lightning is too much for the Penguins defense will be an important component of tonight’s game. The team cannot simply rely on the goalie as they have proven to do well in the past.
It’s a pivotal game for both teams tonight, to get the 3-2 edge as the series moves to Game 6.
