Florida tries for 3-0 collection lead with out Bennett; Tampa Bay seeks to finish 5-game house playoff skid
©<\/span> Mike Carlson\/NHLI by way of Getty Pictures
TAMPA —<\/strong> 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.\u00a0
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\u2019t assist them.\u00a0
\u201cIt\u2019s been two shut video games, sort of related begins the place they outshot us early on,\u201d Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman<\/a> stated Wednesday. \u201cResidence 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\u2019t imply it\u2019s 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.\u201d\u00a0
Florida can be with out second-line heart Sam Bennett<\/a> for no less than every week due to a hand damage sustained in Sport 2. \u00a0
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.\u00a0
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<\/a> scoring in time beyond regulation in Sport 2, or the tiebreaking power-play aim in Sport 1, or goalie Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a> making a spectacular save to maintain Sport 2 tied.\u00a0
Lightning coach Jon Cooper says it\u2019s time for somebody on his crew to make the game-deciding play.\u00a0
\u201cIn the long run, they\u2019ve made the final play, they usually\u2019ve completed it each nights,\u201d Cooper stated. \u201cAnd we will\u2019t hold our hat on, \u2018Wow, we have been shut.\u2019 That\u2019s what groups which can be enjoying golf proper now are saying, and if we don\u2019t wish to do this, now we have to be the crew that makes the additional play.\u201d
The middle was a giant purpose the Panthers gained Sport 2, scoring their first aim after which aiding on Vladimir Tarasenko<\/a>\u2019s aim that made it 2-0. Bennett had 41 factors (20 targets, 21 assists) in 69 video games throughout the common season. Anton Lundell<\/a> will take his spot centering the second line.\u00a0
\u201cWe’ve individuals who can are available in and play heart,” Florida coach Paul Maurice stated. “We\u2019ve 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\u2019ll idiot round with it, possibly.\u201d
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.\u00a0
\u201cThe one factor I hate doing in conditions like that is saying, \u2018Effectively, we did it then, we\u2019re going to do it now,\u2019” Cooper stated. “We will do it now, however what we did again then was simply performed a one-game collection. We didn\u2019t sit right here and say, \u2018Oh my gosh, now we\u2019re down two.\u2019 We\u2019re 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.\u201d
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:<\/strong> Tobias Bjornfot, Uvis Balinskis, Josh Mahura, Jonah Gadjovich, Evan Cormier<\/em>
Injured:<\/strong> Sam Bennett (higher physique), Ryan Lomberg (sickness)<\/em>
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\u00a0
Matt Tomkins
Scratched:<\/strong> Austin Watson, Conor Sheary<\/em>
Injured:<\/strong> Haydn Fleury (higher physique), Jonas Johansson (decrease physique), Mikhail Sergachev (leg)<\/em>
Standing report<\/strong>
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. \u2026 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.<\/p>\n