The Penguins and Lightning are set to collide in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final when the puck drops live from the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Friday.
Pittsburgh looks to win its second consecutive road game to put a 3-1 stranglehold on the series and put itself in position to potentially clinch when the set shifts back to Consol Energy Center for Sunday's Game 5.
Tampa Bay looks to bounce back from its Game 3 disappointment on home ice and even up the series.
The Lightning took Game 1 of this series, 3-1, while the Penguins bounced back with a 3-2 overtime Game 2 win and followed it up with a 4-2 triumph in Game 3. Pittsburgh is now 4-2 on the road in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The "HBK" line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel continued to be a force in Game 3 for the Penguins.
Hagelin and Kessel each had a goal and an assist to start the scoring in the contest, while Bonino had a helper. Hagelin now has five goals for the postseason, while Kessel has a team-leading seven and Bonino is first on the club with 10 assists. Kessel also leads the club with 16 points.
"I think [Bonino's] line...there's a lot of threats on that line, his speed," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said of the line, which has nine points in the series, via NHL.com. "Phil obviously has a great shot. [Bonino] is a real good playmaker, and [Hagelin] brings so much to that -- to the other two guys. They seem to complement each other very well."
Sidney Crosby lit the lamp for his fifth tally of the postseason in the win for the Penguins, while Chris Kunitz found the twine for the second time this spring.
For the Lightning, Tyler Johnson, who leads the team with nine assists, scored his fifth of the playoffs in Game 3, while Ondrej Palat added a goal and an assist. Nikita Kucherov had helpers on both goals to bring his team-leading point total to 14.
Kucherov also paces Tampa Bay with nine goals.
The Lightning will look to tie the series up, but remains without two superstars in goalie Ben Bishop (lower-body) and captain Steven Stamkos (blood clot), who hasn't played yet this postseason and may not return at all.
"Ben Bishop is probably -- I'd consider him in that doubtful range, but that's better than being out," Lightning coach Jon Cooper told NHL.com. "So as of now, [Stamkos is] still in a holding pattern, but aside from that, everyone else is available."
With Bishop, who left Game 1 on a stretcher, sidelined, Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to suit up yet again. Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 48 shots in Game 3 and is 1-2 with a 2.45 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in the series.
The Penguins will counter with a 21-year-old of their own, rookie Matt Murray, who is 9-3 with a 2.13 GAA and a .928 save percentage.
Game Details & Live Stream
Matchup: Penguins at Lightning Eastern Conference Final Game 4
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay, Fla.
Radio: Pittsburgh (105.9 WXDX); Tampa Bay (WDAE 620)
Series: Penguins lead 2-1.
Predictions: Our predictions for this series can be viewed here.
Betting Odds: The latest betting odds for this game can be found here.
Watch Online: This game can be live streamed for free here.
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