NHL Playoff Schedule 2015: Viewing Info, Predictions for Wednesday's Action

The Tampa Bay Lightning scored an impressive 6-2 victory in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final to wrangle home-ice advantage away from the New York Rangers. They will attempt to consolidate that edge Wednesday night.

So far, the series has played out pretty much as expected. The Rangers were able to slow down the pace of Game 1 and scored a late winner. Tampa Bay's dynamic offensive group found more space in Game 2 and made Henrik Lundqvist look human, a rare sight in these playoffs.

Let's check out all of the important information for Game 3. That's followed by a preview and prediction for the third battle in what's setting up to become a long series.

Viewing Details

Where: Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida

When: Wednesday, May 20, at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC Sports Network

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Game 3 Preview

The Rangers came away from the two games at Madison Square Garden with plenty of room for improvement. That said, probably the most important thing moving forward is staying out of the penalty box after giving the Lightning 10 power-play chances.

New York was fortunate Tampa converted on only one in the opener. It wasn't so lucky in Game 2, as the visitors scored three times on six chances. That doesn't come as much of a surprise given how much offensive firepower is on the roster.

Adam Proteau of the Hockey News highlighted the Lightning's depth as well as the style of play differences between the sides:

Before Game 2, every game of the Rangers' playoff run had been decided by one goal. While winning those types of close contests is the hallmark of a championship-caliber group, playing with that little margin for error often comes back to haunt a team.

It certainly did Monday. Jim Cerny of the team's official site passed along comments from captain Ryan McDonagh about bouncing back.

"It was a tough loss on a big stage," McDonagh said. "Guys have to realize what happened, learn from it quick because we're in a big important series here and we've got to get back to the strengths of our game. We have to respond, and we've done it before. So it's a matter of getting that focus again."

For the Rangers, getting back to the strengths of their game means strong defensive play—keeping the Lightning out of the dangerous scoring areas and forcing them to shoot from the perimeter. And Lundqvist will handle a vast majority of those, as he did in Game 1.

Tampa Bay showed how dangerous it can be, though. When Steven Stamkos is fourth on the team in goals, it's a testament to the offensive prowess. Tyler Johnson took center stage with a hat trick in the last game, but it could just as easily be Nikita Kucherov or Alex Killorn.

ESPN Stats & Info notes they have enjoyed success against the Rangers' netminder too:

All told, the overarching theme of the series remains much the same. New York must play a steady defensive game, keeping the Lightning from finding their offensive rhythm, and stay out of the box. Otherwise the game opens up and that favors Tampa.

Expect to see a more typical performance from the Rangers after getting a day to regroup after the blowout. It should be enough to grab home-ice advantage back with another narrow win.

Prediction: Rangers 3, Lightning 2