NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: Viewing Info, Predictions for Wednesday's Action

The Pittsburgh Penguins are breathing easier after Sidney Crosby's overtime goal in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Final series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Now that the series shifts to the Lightning's home at Amalie Arena, can the Penguins get the job done on the road.

Getting Crosby going was an encouraging sign for the Penguins. If Evgeni Malkin can start rolling, that would help the Pens even more.

Malkin has a respectable three goals and six assists through 12 playoff games, but that doesn't tell the whole story. He has been held off the scoresheet since Game 2 of the second-round series against the Washington Capitals. He had an assist in that game, but he has not had a point since then.

While the Penguins have been winning, Malkin's scoreless streak has reached six games, and he has had a glum expression on his face as he has been frustrated by posts, great saves and missed opportunities.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan tried to get the Penguins superstars going when he played them together for a time in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final, and the move nearly paid off when Malkin slipped a pass to Crosby, who fired a hard shot that required a magical save from Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Crosby would eventually end his own personal slump when he fired the game-winning goal in overtime, but he was not able to help Malkin.

"I got pretty good wood on it," Crosby told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "I thought it was a pretty decent shot. [Vasilevskiy] had to kind of respect [Malkin] on that left side, so I thought I had a lot of net. I just probably put it a little bit too far back into him, and he's a big guy. He covered a lot of net and was pretty quick in getting over."

Game 3	Series Standings	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction
Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay	1-1	May 18	8 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC, TVAS	Pittsburgh 3, Tampa Bay 2

Vasilevskiy is the likely starter for the Lightning in Game 3, as Ben Bishop is still recovering from the lower-body injury he suffered in Game 1 of the series. 

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said he is optimistic that Bishop will return at some point in the series, but that the every-other-day nature of the schedule makes it difficult for him to say when that opportunity will come.

"I think when you're playing every other day it's tougher for anybody to come back," Cooper told Corey Long of NHL.com. "That's where those three-day breaks are big in that regard. That's helped us out in a few of these series just trying to help get guys back. But ultimately whether it's one day, two days or three days, if he's ready to go, he's ready to go, and I don't think an extra day is going to help out."

The Penguins dictated the pace with their speed and aggressiveness in Game 2, and it will be up to the Lightning to show that they can do the same in Game 3 as they return home to the Amalie Arena in Tampa.

The game will be played at 8 p.m. ET and televised on NBCSN in the United States and CBC and TVAS in Canada.

Prediction

The Lightning managed to get a split in the first two games in the Consol Energy Center, and considering they lost their No. 1 goalie early in the first game, that's quite an achievement.

Vaslievskiy has played as if he is a starting goalie, as he has not let in a bad goal in either of the two games. The Lightning were outplayed badly in the second game, but Vasilevskiy made 38 saves.

Look for the Lightning to pick up the pace at home, and Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman should set the pace. Those three have combined for 17 goals and 19 assists, and when they get hot, they can carry the team.

The Penguins know they will face a more determined Tampa Bay team at home, and the key will be surviving the early onslaught. If the Penguins can come out of the first period tied or with the lead, they should have an excellent chance of pulling off the road win.

Look for Crosby to find the back of the net again, and don't be surprised if Malkin turns his sulk into a smile as he scores as well. Pittsburgh gets the road win and takes a 2-1 series lead.