3 Keys: Panthers at Lightning, Game 3 of Eastern Second Round
Florida wants to 'wipe the slate clean,' contain Tampa Bay forward Kucherov
The Florida Panthers are approaching Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena as a chance to flip the script in the best-of-7 series.
After losing the first two games at home, Florida believes if it gets a win on Sunday, it can seize the momentum with a quick turnaround before Game 4 on Monday.
"Completely change it," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said Saturday. "Opportunity is a great word. We realize the opportunity in front of us to get it to 2-1, and if we do, then it's go time. We're a resilient group. We've been down in games, we know how to battle back."
The Panthers led the NHL with 29 comeback victories on their way to winning the Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the NHL team with the best record in the regular season. Florida also came from behind to win in each of the final three games of the first round against the Washington Capitals after trailing 2-1 in that series.
RELATED: [Complete Panthers vs Lightning series coverage]
The Lightning won the first two games on the road in the first-round series between the Sunshine State rivals last season before the Panthers rebounded to win 6-5 in overtime in Game 3. So Tampa Bay, which won that series in six games en route to its second straight Stanley Cup championship, knows to expect another big push from Florida.
"They came in Game 3 and outplayed us last year," Lightning forward Alex Killorn said. "We have to elevate our game. We know we're going to get their best. They played pretty well last game, and they are going to be even better tomorrow. We have to be ready for that."
Teams that take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 Stanley Cup Playoff series hold an all-time record of 197-4 (98 percent).
Here are three keys for Game 3:
1. Clean slate
The Panthers have had two days to move past a stunning 2-1 loss in Game 2, when the Lightning capitalized on a defensive-zone breakdown and Ross Colton scored the game-winning goal with 3.8 seconds remaining.
Florida controlled play for most of the game before that, so it will be looking to build on the positives and forget the ending.
"Those things, you say you've got to wipe the slate clean and Etch A Sketch it, but they linger a little bit," Panthers coach Andrew Brunette said. "It was good to have yesterday to blow it off and wake up this morning and the sun came up and let's play."
2. Killer instinct
The Lightning had a decisive advantage on special teams in the first two games, going 4-for-9 on the power play and 7-for-7 on the penalty kill. Florida is 0-for-25 with the man-advantage in the playoffs and clearly pressing.
Tampa Bay wants to keep it that way with continued strong work on its penalty kill, which is 31-for-35 (88.6 percent) in the playoffs.
"They are working together, and when we have a chance to clear the puck, for the most part we do," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "They have been pretty tight in the neutral zone and limiting high-danger shots, and if it has broken down, the goalie's been there. It's been a key part of our success."
3. Nikita Kucherov
After having a strong first round with eight points (two goals, six assists) in seven games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Lightning forward was even better in the first two games against the Panthers.
Stepping up with Brayden Point out with a lower-body injury, Kucherov set up Corey Perry's tying power-play goal in the second period and scored his own power-play goal in the third period of a 4-1 win in Game 1. In Game 2, Kucherov set up Colton's winning goal with a backhand pass from behind the net after drawing two defenders.
"He makes the other players around him dangerous, and that's why he's so [darn] good," Ekblad said. "So, extremely important for us to know every single time he's on the ice, limit his time and space as best we can and obviously take care of business away from the puck. Take that extra stride to lock down your man in all situations."
Panthers projected lineup
Carter Verhaeghe -- Aleksander Barkov -- Claude Giroux
Jonathan Huberdeau -- Sam Bennett -- Anthony Duclair
Maxim Mamin -- Eetu Luostarinen -- Sam Reinhart
Ryan Lomberg -- Noel Acciari -- Patric Hornqvist
Ben Chiarot -- Aaron Ekblad
Gustav Forsling -- MacKenzie Weegar
Brandon Montour -- Radko Gudas
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
Scratched:Petteri Lindbohm, Joe Thornton, Lucas Carlsson, Robert Hagg, Jonas Johansson, Anton Lundell
Injured:Markus Nutivaara (undisclosed), Mason Marchment (lower body)
Lightning projected lineup
Anthony Cirelli -- Steven Stamkos -- Nikita Kucherov
Ondrej Palat -- Nick Paul -- Alex Killorn
Brandon Hagel -- Ross Colton -- Corey Perry
Patrick Maroon -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Victor Hedman -- Erik Cernak
Ryan McDonagh -- Jan Rutta
Mikhail Sergachev -- Cal Foote
Zach Bogosian
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Brian Elliott
Scratched: Riley Nash
Injured:Brayden Point (lower body)
Status report
Marchment, a forward, is expected to miss the next two games. ... Lundell, a center, is a scratch after getting 4:07 of ice time in Game 2. Mamin will take his spot in the lineup. ... Hagel (body maintenance) did not practice Saturday but is expected to play. ... Point, a center, will likely miss the next two games.
