Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning face-off for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Final best-of-seven series live from the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay as part of the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.
New York looks to win a crucial road game to take a 2-1 series lead after losing home ice while Tampa Bay comes home after successfully taking home ice advantage away and will look to take their first lead in this set.
The Rangers took Game 1 by a 2-1 margin while the Lightning roared back in the second meeting, winning it 6-2 on Monday at Madison Square Garden.
Game 3 can be live streamed for free by clicking here.
Tyler Johnson notched the first hat trick in Tampa Bay playoff history in Game 2, scoring on the man advantage, shorthanded and at even strength. Alex Killorn (two goals) and Steven Stamkos also scored for the Lightning in the rout.
Derek Stepan scored his second goal of the series and Chris Kreider also tallied for New York in the loss. Both of the goals came on the power play.
Both teams were undisciplined as 11 penalties were assessed in the game. The loss snapped New York's 15-game streak of playoff matches being decided by one tally.
The Rangers led the NHL and set a franchise record with 28 road wins this season and they're hoping that experience will help them take another series lead. New York has split all three of its series' 1-1 at home thus far this postseason.
"This is the Eastern Conference Final, there are only two teams here battling for a chance to go on to compete for the Cup," captain Ryan McDonagh said per NHL.com. "We've gotta give ourselves a better chance here to keep this dream alive."
Stepan has paced New York's offense with 10 points this spring off of five goals and five assists while Kreider has a team-best six tallies and has added one helper for seven points and Derick Brassard (five markers, four helpers) is second on the team with nine points.
Rick Nash has seven points, but only two goals, while former Tampa Bay captain Martin St. Louis (four assists) is struggling to find his form.
For the Lightning, Johnson's hat trick gave him a playoff-leading 11 goals and tied him for the NHL lead with 16 points.
"[Johnson] is starting to make a name for himself in the league," coach Jon Cooper told NHL.com. "You have to have hockey sense, and what hockey sense is to people probably means different things. But look at all the situations he plays in. You've got to be somewhat of a smart player to be a penalty killer and play on the power play. It's not like he sits there and stands on the net front and gets pounded the whole time. He's got to make plays, and he plays when we're up a goal, down a goal."
Johnson and his "Triplets" line along with Nikita Kucherov (6-8--14) and Ondrej Palat (4-6--10) have been clicking throughout the postseason. Killorn (five goals, seven assists) and Stamkos (four tallies, eight helpers) are tied for third on the team with 12 points in the playoffs.
In between the pipes, Tampa Bay turns to Ben Bishop and he stopped 35 of 37 shots he faced in Game 2 and is 9-6 this postseason with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage.
New York counters with Henrik Lundqvist in the blue paint and he yielded six goals in a postseason match for the first time since his first playoff game against New Jersey in 2006 on 26 shots in Game 2. Lundqvist is 9-5 in these playoffs with a 1.86 GAA and a .933 save percentage.
It's a pivotal Game 3 when the Rangers and Lightning each look for a 2-1 edge when the puck drops on the Eastern Conference Final live tonight from the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay as part of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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