Tampa Bay Lightning play host to Washington Capitals in Game 3 of series: NHL Play-Off Update
The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the third game of the semi-final series against the Washington Capitals at the St. Pete Times Forum this Tuesday.
The Lightning are in terrific form as they have won the last five consecutive games out of which two are in this series. Resultantly, they lead the series 2-0 and now they play on home ice. The number one seed, Washington Capitals, look in a spot of bother
as they are two games down and playing on away ice hasn’t been something the Capitals have liked. Vincent Lecavalier proved to be the difference between the two teams as he scored the opening, then in the final or scoring a winning-goal of the game in overtime
to bag the game for the Lightning.
The Capitals are another one of those teams that have raised the expectations each time by a superb run in the regular season, but have failed to bring out the best out of them. They are another one of those teams, like Bruins, who crumble at the crucial
stage. However, this time the Bruins have done the job by winning their first two games and it is the Capitals turn to show what they are really made off. They have lost the first two home games and need to win the upcoming games before it gets out of hands.
"We know it's a huge challenge and a huge task here," forward Mike Knuble said. "I think you've gotta embrace it, not be upset about what's happened. You've got to push forward and try to be better so I guess you do want to be a little upset, but not in
a negative way -- use it to move forward."
The Lightning is one of the teams ,which can be said to be the surprised package of the post-season as they were unsuccessful in making their way into the play-offs for the last four seasons. However, this time not only did they make their way into the post-season,
but they are only two wins away from a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Looking at the bigger picture, they are in touching distance of the Conference Finals and then the Stanley Cup Finals.
"We were expecting to struggle for a while, and it didn't happen," Boucher said during a conference call Monday afternoon. "These players were carefully chosen not just on their impact on the ice, but also no the type of individuals that they are. I think
that's a real trait of Steve. He doesn't jump into decisions. He takes his time for everything and makes sure he weighs all the pros and the cons and takes into the consideration the intangibles that make a difference, I believe.”
The Lightning are in a good shape ahead of the game whereas the Capitals will also be fired up which makes this encounter a little more exciting.
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