TBL-FLA game 2 preview

No. 3 Lightning at No. 2 Panthers
8 p.m. ET; CNBC, SNE, TVAS2, BSFL, BSSUN
Tampa Bay leads best-of-7 series, 1-0

The Tampa Bay Lightning seek to extend their lead in the Stanley Cup First Round when they visit the Florida Panthers in Game 2 at BB&T Center on Tuesday.
The Lightning defeated the Panthers 5-4 in Game 1 of the best-of-7 series Sunday.
"Any time you start on the road, you want to at least get a game," Lightning forward Steven Stamkos said, "And when you win the first game you want to get greedy now and get both."
Chris Driedger will make his NHL postseason debut for the Panthers. The goalie, who turned 27 on Tuesday, will replace Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 40 shots in Game 1. Lightning forward Brayden Point scored two goals in the third period, including the game-winner with 1:14 remaining.
"They're trading one NHL goalie for another NHL goalie," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Their system doesn't change, how they play doesn't change and I don't think their goaltender will matter. They're putting another guy in who is having a fabulous year. His job is to stop the puck and our job is to get it by him."
Teams with a 2-0 lead are 330-51 (86.6 percent) winning a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, including 4-0 in the first round last season.
Teams with a 2-0 lead starting as the road team are 80-20 (80 percent) winning a best-of-7 NHL playoff series.
Here are 3 keys for Game 2:

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1. Driedger's chance

Panthers coach Joel Quenneville never hesitated to turn to Driedger during the regular season, and the goalie often delivered.
Driedger was 14-6-3 with a 2.07 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 games. He had success against the Lightning, going 2-0-1 with a 2.33 GAA, a .913 save percentage (seven goals on 80 shots) and one shutout in three games.
"All year long he did everything you would want," Quenneville said. "He hasn't had this chance here for two years so we feel it's the right time to give him an opportunity based on his performance and based on the opportunity."

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2. Replacing Bennett

Sam Bennett will not play after the Panthers forward was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety for boarding Lightning forward Blake Coleman in Game 1.
Bennett's absence will be felt by the Panthers. He had two assists in Game 1 and scored 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 10 games after Florida acquired him in a trade with the Calgary Flames on April 12.
Alex Wennberg will move into Bennett's spot and play center on the second line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Owen Tippett. Wennberg played with Huberdeau before the Panthers acquired Bennett.
"An unbelievable player," Wennberg said of Huberdeau. "He shows every night what kind of passes he can make and obviously he's a goal scorer as well. You realize when you're on the ice just keep your stick on the ice and eventually he's going to find you."

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3. Lightning power play

The difference in the Lightning's power play with forward Nikita Kucherov in the right circle and Stamkos in the left circle was obvious. Defenseman Victor Hedman, who plays the point on the power play, knows he can go in either direction to set up one of the best one-timers in the NHL.
It was the first time Hedman had those options this season because Kucherov did not play during the regular season after having hip surgery Dec. 29.
The Lightning were 3-for-4 on the power play in Game 1.
"They've got all the options you want with the right guys, so pick your poison and recognize where is the most danger," Quenneville said. "These guys are the best at it and that's why we can't take penalties."

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Lightning projected lineup
Panthers projected lineup

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Status report

Tampa Bay will use the same forward lines and defense pairs from Game 1. … Acciari will center the third line with Lammikko making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut on the fourth line.