3 Keys: Panthers at Lightning, Sport 3 of Japanese 1st Spherical – NHL.com

Florida tries for 3-0 collection lead with out Bennett; Tampa Bay seeks to finish 5-game house playoff skid
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TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to finish a five-game postseason house dropping streak once they host the Florida Panthers in Sport 3 of the Japanese Convention First Spherical at Amalie Enviornment on Thursday. 
The Lightning haven’t gained a house playoff recreation since Sport 3 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Ultimate. They misplaced Video games 4 and 6 of that Cup Ultimate to the Colorado Avalanche, and all three of their house video games towards the Toronto Maple Leafs — every in time beyond regulation — within the first spherical final season. They misplaced every collection in six video games.
After dropping Video games 1 and a pair of at Amerant Financial institution Enviornment, every by a 3-2 rating, they’re completely satisfied to be house. However after two gradual begins, together with having three photographs on aim within the first interval of Sport 2 on Tuesday, they know the group alone gained’t assist them. 
“It’s been two shut video games, sort of related begins the place they outshot us early on,” Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman stated Wednesday. “Residence ice is one factor, however you continue to must go on the market and execute and persist with your recreation plan. Simply since you are again house doesn’t imply it’s going to be simpler. However clearly we’re going to feed off the group, now we have to get that additional power, get these guys behind us and feed on that.” 
Florida can be with out second-line heart Sam Bennett for no less than every week due to a hand damage sustained in Sport 2.  
Groups that take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Playoff collection have an all-time collection report of 202-4 (.981). The final crew to win a collection after being down 3-0 was the 2014 Los Angeles Kings within the first spherical towards the San Jose Sharks. 
Listed here are 3 keys for Sport 3:
Within the first two video games of this collection, the Panthers have made the massive performs, whether or not it was ahead Carter Verhaeghe scoring in time beyond regulation in Sport 2, or the tiebreaking power-play aim in Sport 1, or goalie Sergei Bobrovsky making a spectacular save to maintain Sport 2 tied. 
Lightning coach Jon Cooper says it’s time for somebody on his crew to make the game-deciding play. 
“In the long run, they’ve made the final play, they usually’ve completed it each nights,” Cooper stated. “And we will’t hold our hat on, ‘Wow, we have been shut.’ That’s what groups which can be enjoying golf proper now are saying, and if we don’t wish to do this, now we have to be the crew that makes the additional play.”
The middle was a giant purpose the Panthers gained Sport 2, scoring their first aim after which aiding on Vladimir Tarasenko’s aim that made it 2-0. Bennett had 41 factors (20 targets, 21 assists) in 69 video games throughout the common season. Anton Lundell will take his spot centering the second line. 
“We’ve individuals who can are available in and play heart,” Florida coach Paul Maurice stated. “We’ve performed playoff video games with Bennett out, with [Aleksander] Barkov out, so now we have a reasonably good template of what the traces seem like. We’ll idiot round with it, possibly.”
Tampa Bay has been right here earlier than; the Lightning misplaced the primary two video games of the 2022 Japanese Convention Ultimate on the New York Rangers and trailed 2-0 in Sport 3 earlier than they rallied to win the best-of-7 collection in six video games. The 2003 Lightning did the identical factor, defeating the Washington Capitals within the Convention Quarterfinals after being down 2-0. 
“The one factor I hate doing in conditions like that is saying, ‘Effectively, we did it then, we’re going to do it now,’” Cooper stated. “We will do it now, however what we did again then was simply performed a one-game collection. We didn’t sit right here and say, ‘Oh my gosh, now we’re down two.’ We’re not going to win two video games [Thursday]. We simply must win one. That’s the perspective we had again then and it simply sort of snowballed after that.”
NHL Tonight prep for Sport 3 of the Battle of Florida
Vladimir Tarasenko — Aleksander Barkov — Sam Reinhart
Carter Verhaeghe — Anton Lundell — Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen — Kevin Stenlund — Evan Rodrigues
Nick Cousins — Steven Lorentz — Kyle Okposo
Gustav Forsling — Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola — Brandon Montour
Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Dmitry Kulikov
Sergei Bobrovsky
Anthony Stolarz
Scratched: Tobias Bjornfot, Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura, Jonah Gadjovich, Evan Cormier
Injured: Sam Bennett (higher physique), Ryan Lomberg (sickness)
Anthony Duclair — Brayden Level — Nikita Kucherov
Brandon Hagel — Anthony Cirelli — Steven Stamkos
Michael Eyssimont — Nicholas Paul — Mitchell Chaffee
Tyler Motte — Luke Glendening
Victor Hedman — Darren Raddysh
Matt Dumba — Erik Cernak
Emil Lilleberg — Max Crozier
Calvin de Haan
Andrei Vasilevskiy 
Matt Tomkins
Scratched: Austin Watson, Conor Sheary
Injured: Haydn Fleury (higher physique), Jonas Johansson (decrease physique), Mikhail Sergachev (leg)
Standing report
Bennett was struck by a puck throughout the second interval of a 3-2 time beyond regulation win in Sport 2 on Tuesday. … Lomberg, a ahead, missed Sport 2 and won’t play in Sport 3. … Okposo will play in his first postseason recreation since 2016, when he was with the New York Islanders. … The Lightning are anticipated to decorate 11 forwards and 7 defensemen.

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