#Stanley #Cup #Playoffs,#Evgeni #Malkin,#Chris Kunitz,#Mike Sullivan,#Sidney Crosby,#Stanley Cup,Marc-Andre Fleury,Patric Hornqvist,Ben Bishop
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins are heading to Tampa for Wednesday’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final with the series tied 1-1. Here are eight things we’ve learned.
1. Penguins need Crosby’s scoring: In the first two rounds, the Penguins showed they had enough depth to win without either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin carrying the offensive load.
But the Lightning provide a bigger challenge. Crosby’s strong Game 2 performance, which included his first playoff overtime goal, reminds us the Penguins are a greater force when Crosby is dominant.
2. Second goalie isn’t second rate: If Ben Bishop is out for an extended period with his lower-body injury, Tampa Bay’s goaltending should be in good hands with Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Since replacing Bishop in the first period of Game 1, he has stopped 71 of 75 (.947 save percentage) shots and looked like a model of composure.
(Matt Murray, the Penguins' No. 2, has a .928 SV% in the playoffs.)
3. Stralman completes the defense: Once Stralman shook off the rust in Game 2 from a seven-week injury absence, he started to remind us why the Lightning were so effective last season when they made a run to the Stanley Cup Final .
He scored in his return, and he played 18:39. His minutes will climb as he starts to regain his game shape.
How much better does he make the team’s defense? Stralman is one of the top five most important Lightning players when he’s healthy.
4. Fleury still an option: Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan considered pulling rookie Matt Murray during Game 2. The Lightning scored twice at the end of the first period to tie the game at 2.
Murray would like a do-over on the Jonathan Drouin goal when he scored on a wrist shot from past the faceoff dot.
To Murray’s credit, he battled back. “What we’ve always liked about Matt is his ability to respond when things don’t go the way he wants them to go,” Sullivan said.
But Sullivan knows he has the option of bringing in popular veteran Marc-Andre Fleury if he needs to give his team a spark.
5. Drouin is dangerous: Three months ago, the Lightning were considering trade offers for Drouin.
Now he is one of the true game breakers in the conference final. He has special powers. His hands are magical, and his release is quick.
With 11 points in 12 games, he has the same points-per-game scoring rate as Crosby. Drouin has goals in back-to-back games.
6. Penguins will tweak their lines: Although the Penguins’ line combinations looked sharp in the first two series, they haven’t worked as well against the Lightning.
Sullivan started to mix them up in Game 2, and he got results. That should continue in Game 3.
Rookie Connor Sheary, playing on Crosby’s line, has two points in his past eight games, and he's minus-6. He played only 11:53 in Game 2 and didn't log a shift in the third period. Chris Kunitz got time on Crosby's wing in the third. Malkin has scored one goal in nine games. Changes are in order.
7. Stamkos a key variable: Even Steven Stamkos doesn’t know whether doctors will clear him to play during this series, but you can sense there’s optimism about his chances.
Stamkos, recovering from a blood clot in his arm, has pointed out that NHL players have competed while taking blood thinners. It requires the doctors changing the times when a patient takes them.
It’s been more than six weeks since he's played, but even a rusty Stamkos makes the Lightning more dynamic.
8. Hedman vs. Letang is crucial: The Lightning go as Victor Hedman goes. Kris Letang is Pittsburgh’s fire starter.
Their play is going to be a deciding factor in this series. Letang got more done in Game 2, leading both teams with seven shots on goal.
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