Stanley Cup Playoffs 2015: TV Schedule and Predicting Score for NHL Final Game 3

The momentum of the Stanley Cup playoffs shifted on Saturday night as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks convincingly 4-3 to even the series at 1-1. 

Tampa Bay's youth and speed were on dazzling display in Game 2 after a Game 1 that was slow out of the gate and after which a Blackhawks win in four games seemed a likely possibility. 

But with their fast-paced attack on Saturday, the Lightning demonstrated that they won't go down that easily. Tampa Bay held the lead gained by Cedric Paquette's early goal until the second period, when Andrew Shaw got Chicago on the board. 

Teuvo Teravainen gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead, but the Lightning answered with back-to-back goals by Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson to take a 3-2 advantage heading into the third period.

That's when all the excitement this matchup promised materialized, as Brent Seabrook tied the score up at 3-3 early in the third. But on a power play, Jason Garrison deflected a shot off Blackhawk Andrew Desjardins' stick that found the goal for the winning score.

"Unfortunately, I played a part on the game-winning goal by Jason Garrison, and it was just so frustrating to watch that puck go in the net," Desjardins said after the game, per NHL.com. "But that's hockey."

The teams now travel back to Chicago for Game 3, which could prove to be a pivotal turning point for whichever team wins. All the viewing information for Game 3 is below. 

Series Score	Date	Time	Location	TV Broadcast
1-1	Monday, June 8	8 p.m. ET	Chicago	NBCSN

Prediction

Clearly, with its win Saturday night, Tampa Bay took control of the momentum heading into Game 3. However, returning home will give the Blackhawks a boost.

Chicago already proved it can win on the road—and convincingly at that—in the Western Conference Final against the Anaheim Ducks. It reinforced that in Game 1 of this series, starting out fast against what then seemed like a listless Lightning team. 

Though they would rather be up 2-0 heading back to Chicago, the Blackhawks are happy with the advantage they'll have in these next two games. 

"It's definitely a good position," Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford said Saturday, per Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. "We'll go home for Game 3 and we have a lot of confidence. It's going to be tough, but we're going to be ready to battle."

That battle will include holding off Tampa Bay's Triplets Line, one of its greatest assets in this series. The line, consisting of Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov, had two goals and five shots in Game 2 after a surprisingly quiet outing in Game 1. 

However, can the Triplets keep that offensive prowess going at the United Center? Though Tampa Bay's defense was dominant in Game 1, its offense was nearly nonexistent, with its only score coming from Alexander Killorn. 

Both aspects of the Lightning's game will need to fire on all cylinders to hold off the Blackhawks on Monday. 

Though something sparked for the Lightning on Saturday, it's hard to imagine this Blackhawks team losing its first game back at home in the series. Though Tampa Bay has also performed well on the road throughout the playoffs, Chicago is 7-1 at home during the playoffs. 

Expect the Blackhawks to make that 8-1 on Monday. 

Score Prediction: Blackhawks 3, Lightning 2