In Monday night’s game, the Pittsburgh Penguins got a crucial overtime goal from captain Sidney Crosby to tie the things up against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Now, the series has moved to Tampa Bay for Wednesday night’s Game 3, and the Penguins are hoping Crosby & Co. can keep the offense moving to take the series lead.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins’ offense was firing on all cylinders Monday. If the offense continues to play as well as they did in that game, Pittsburgh will continue to be dangerous. Head coach Mike Sullivan fiddled with the Penguins’ lines, which seemed to create more opportunities on net, especially for Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who have struggled in the playoffs. Tonight’s game might even feature Crosby and Malkin on the same line — if Sullivan really wants to get the two going and terrify the Lightning in the process.
After eight games, Crosby finally scored that overtime goal (his first-ever overtime goal in the playoffs), perhaps giving him more confidence. If Crosby brings back that eye for goal and can create scoring opportunities, this team gets even harder to beat. Goaltender Matt Murray hasn’t played as well in this round as in previous rounds, letting in three goals the first game and two goals in Monday’s game. But Murray has blocked several great scoring opportunities for the Lightning, and he continues to be a force in net.
The Penguins have struggled on power plays against the Lightning. Despite having the ninth-highest power play percentage in the regular season, Pittsburgh hasn’t been able to keep the puck in Tampa Bay’s zone in the playoffs. Because of this, the Penguins are missing one of their most potent scoring weapons.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning have proved challenging, largely through their speed and skill stealing the puck. This series is the first time the Penguins have faced a team that relies so much on moving quickly down and around the ice, and it has proved difficult for Pittsburgh’s defense.
While goalie Ben Bishop remains out with an injury — he hurt his leg in Game 1 of the series and hasn’t played since — backup goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has played admirably. In Monday’s game, he faced 41 shots and allowed just the three to get past him. Bishop skated in full equipment before the team’s morning skate, and he’s schedule to practice Thursday with the team.
Forward Ryan Callahan will return tonight after sitting out Monday with the flu. And, while Steven Stamkos won’t be available this game, Tampa Bay still hopes its captain (who underwent surgery to repair a blood clot on April 4 and is continuing to deal with blood thinner medication) will be available this series.
Prediction
After Monday night’s game, the Penguins seem like they have the upper hand. If Crosby and Murray can come out in tonight’s game and play like they did in the regular season, the Penguins will definitely win tonight’s game.
Still, overcoming the Lightning’s speed will be a difficult task. Pittsburgh can’t hold on to the puck and will need to create more scoring opportunities to give the Penguins the momentum and slow down Tampa Bay.
The puck will drop tonight at 5 p.m. EST at Amalie Arena, and the game can be watched on NBC Sports.
Image credit: NHL.com
