Penguins 3 - 2 Lightning
Final
  for this game

Pens visit Lightning for crucial Game 3

Apr 18, 2011 - 3:25 PM (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to bounce back from a lopsided loss tonight, when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at St. Pete Times Forum.

The Penguins and Bolts are tied at one game apiece after playing the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Pittsburgh. The Pens notched a 3-0 victory in the opener before getting handled, 5-1, in Friday's Game 2 matchup at CONSOL Energy Center.

Tampa defenseman Eric Brewer ignited a three-goal first period and collected two assists to help the Lightning tie the series with an easy win. Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St Louis both scored power-play goals and Simon Gagne recorded three helpers for fifth-seeded Tampa Bay.

Dwayne Roloson turned aside 35 shots to notch his first postseason win in five years. Roloson backstopped Edmonton to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final before a knee injury in the opener put him on the shelf. The Oilers wound up losing to Carolina in seven games.

Craig Adams supplied the lone goal for the fourth-seeded Penguins, who got just 16 saves from Marc-Andre Fleury. The Pens goaltender had 32 saves in Pittsburgh's Game 1 triumph.

"I don't want to get too excited. It's one game and we know [Fleury's] going to bounce back and be solid for his team the next game," said Tampa Bay head coach Guy Boucher.

Pittsburgh finished 0-for-7 on the power play and is 0-for-13 with the man advantage through the first two games of this series.

"We knew what to expect tonight. We knew they were going to come out the way they did," said Pittsburgh forward James Neal.

Of course, Pittsburgh is still playing without captain Sidney Crosby due to a concussion. Crosby continues to practice with the team, but he has not been cleared for contact and will likely miss tonight's game.

The Lightning have a trio of defensemen battling injuries, as Marc-Andre Bergeron (undisclosed), Randy Jones (left ankle) and Matt Smaby (lower body) are all questionable for tonight's game.

Tampa, which will also host Game 4 on Wednesday, had a solid 25-11-5 record as the host this year. Pittsburgh was 24-11-6 as the visiting team.

Pittsburgh and the Bolts split four meetings during the regular season and this playoff series marks the first-ever postseason matchup between these clubs.






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