Here are five keys for each team to find victory in Game 3.

Pittsburgh Penguins

5. Tilt the Ice

There are times when the Lightning start running around in their own zone. Use that to your advantage, Penguins.

The longer Tampa Bay’s offensive weapons are defending, the less time they have to score.

4. Stay Out of the Box

While the Penguins came in No. 1 in the league on the penalty kill, Tampa Bay proved that it can score anyway.

Pittsburgh can’t afford to get into a shootout with the Lightning, especially if their power play is still short-circuited.

3. Score First

The Pens are much better playing with a lead than they are trying to come from behind. If they can get the first goal, the Lightning crowd gets taken out of the game and they can pull back into their defense-first approach while awaiting Lightning mistakes.

2. Score a Power-Play Goal (or Two)

Zero-for-the series on the power play isn’t going to get the job done. Sooner or later, someone from Pittsburgh has to make an impact with the man advantage.

1. The Game 1 Version of Marc-Andre Fleury Must Return

It seemed like Marc-Andre Fleury used all of his spectacular saves up in Game 1 of the series. He was ordinary in Game 2, as the Lightning powered four goals past the Pittsburgh net-minder.

Pittsburgh can’t win with Fleury giving up that many goals. They need “Game 1 Marc-Andre” back.

Tampa Bay Lightning

5. Score First

Not only does getting the first goal get the crowd into the game, it ratchets up the pressure on the Pens and potentially shakes the confidence of Marc-Andre Fleury.

When the Lightning get a lead, they are tough to beat. They fall into their 1-3-1 checking system and then pounce on any mistake an opponent makes. 

4. Seen Stamkos?

While Pittsburgh has missed its superstar for half the season, Steven Stamkos might as well have been on the shelf, too. The Lightning’s superstar has been invisible for the past two months.

Is he hurt? Has he lost confidence?

The Lightning aren’t saying, but for Tampa Bay to win this series, Steven Stamkos must have an impact. No points and just two shots on goal in two postseason games is pitiful.

This is a guy who scored 91 points and 45 goals for the Lightning this season.

3. Eliminate the Lapses in Concentration

In Game 1, it was defenseman Pavel Kubina’s laziness around his own net that cost the Lightning a goal. In Game 2, it was goalie Dwayne Roloson’s senior moment.

Every mistake is magnified 10-fold in the playoffs. Tampa Bay cannot continue to beat itself and win this series.

2. Score Early

Not only does an early goal get the crowd pumping, it also eliminates Fleury’s air of invincibility. The longer Fleury has a goose egg on the board, the tougher he becomes. The early goal seems to be Fleury’s kryptonite.

Get one early on, and he’s just another goaltender. The longer it takes, the more “double-stack-reverse-pad saves” you will begin to see.

1. Stay Out of the Box

The Lightning have taken far too many penalties this series. Sure, they’ve been stellar on the penalty kill—but every penalty is another shift taken away from Stamkos, Lecavalier and St. Louis.

This also enables the Penguins to get their offense going and provides them with a source of momentum. These penalties have been foolish stick penalties and holding penalties that are just lazy plays.

Eliminate these silly penalties, Lightning, and Pittsburgh’s source of momentum is gone.

With a large contingent of Pennsylvania transplants in the Tampa Bay area, you can expect a large group of Penguins fans at the game Monday night.

It should be interesting to see which group of fans will be cheering the loudest when the final seconds tick off the clock.

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As important as the playoffs are to so many people—it doesn't mean as much as another battle that many of the Tampa Bay players hope they can contribute to winning—the battle against cancer.

Nate Thompson, Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Victor Hedman, Teddy Purcell, Ryan Malone, Mike Smith and SunSports TV personality Paul Kennedy joined 31 people in Cut for a Cure—a charity event that brought in a reported $161,000 of the $230,000 goal for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The players shaved their heads to honor the struggle that many children inflicted with cancer and blood disorders are facing on a daily basis.

The need for a cure for cancer was driven home this week when Lightning Assistant Coach Wayne Fleming had to have brain surgery on a primary brain tumor on Saturday. Primary brain tumors begin in the brain and can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Whether his tumor was the latter has not been revealed publicly but any tumor in the brain is potentially life threatening.

The 61-year-old Fleming is resting at home after the procedure was performed in Tampa's famed Moffitt Cancer Center.

One of the first moves head coach Guy Boucher and GM Steve Yzerman made was to get the experienced Fleming on the bench to help his first year coach.

Beginning his NHL coaching career in 1997 as an assistant with the New York Islanders, Fleming has worked for Calgary, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Edmonton.

Fleming is well known in the international community, as he served as associate coach for Team Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey and the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. Fleming was vice president of hockey operations and head coach for Hockey Canada in 2002.

According to Damian Cristodero of the St. Pete Times, the team is not ruling out Fleming for the playoffs and said his participation will be based on his "level of comfort during the treatment process."

While the players certainly have their coach in their hopes and prayers, the Cut for the Cure was more about the kids.

"When you see the smiles on their face, you know it made their night," Lecavalier told the St. Petersburg Times, "To know what they go through and how tough it is … the least we can do is things like this."

Lecavalier has done a lot more than going bald for the kids. His Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at the All Children's Hospital in Tampa has done amazing work taking care of hundreds of kids and making strides in pediatric cancer research.

The Lightning overcame a late season slump to win seven of their last eight games and secure the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Their 103 points are second most in franchise history.

Yet, none of that matters to kids fighting for their lives or Coach Fleming as he recovers from brain surgery. They'll be plenty of time to discuss matchups and grow playoff beards.

For one night though, it is about the coach and those kids.

The Cut for Cancer campaign will continue to accept donations until the Lightning are out of the playoffs or May 6th, whichever is later. They can be made at pcfcutforacure.org and fastercure.org.

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For the streaky Lightning, this is nothing new.

Tampa Bay has had multiple win streaks followed by extended losing skids throughout the 2010-11 season. This slump has a bit of a different feel, though.

Steven Stamkos, the NHL's leading goal scorer, hasn't put one past a goalie in five games and he has just one in his last 12. It's caused Stammer the Hammer to doubt himself, pass up easy shots and try to be too perfect on his trademark blasts.

"It's something that you feel, in practice, in games, you just don't feel like yourself," Stamkos told columnist Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune. "You just don't have that confidence, that swagger. I don't know if that's the right word. That something that makes you go."

Their top player's funk prompted GM Steve Yzerman to pull Stamkos into his office and give the youngster an impromptu pep talk.

Injuries are mounting for Tampa Bay as well.

Vincent Lecavalier, who scored for the eighth time in 11 games in the contest versus Montreal, missed a game with a lower-back injury and is battling through it. The team's powerplay QB Marc Andre Bergeron injured himself weight training. He, too, returned against the Habs—but played through pain.

Ryan Malone remains out of the lineup with what is believed to be a torn stomach muscle. He's not expected back until the postseason. Solid defenseman Mike Lundin, who's suffering through an abdominal strain that has caused him to miss the last 12 games, is getting closer to returning.

Add to that Steve Downie and Nate Thompson.

Downie was scratched from Saturday night's game with an undisclosed injury sustained against Boston and Nate Thompson (who averages 14:49 of ice time) played less than 10 minutes against the Canadiens and did not take a shift in the final 7:18 of the game.

With injuries mounting, the Lightning have found life at the top a little difficult to handle. Tampa Bay did not put their best effort on the ice against Montreal and it certainly showed on the scoreboard.

"The urgency levels for the teams chasing at this time of year is much greater than the teams in front,'' Lightning coach Guy Boucher told reporters. "We played really well in Boston (Thursday), gave everything we got, same thing in New Jersey (Wednesday); we come home for that first period, and I was very surprised (at Saturday's start). Our urgency level was extremely low, and theirs was very high."

At one point, as many as seven points up in the Southeast Division, the Lightning have seen their lead over the three-time defending Southeast Division champion Capitals cut to just one point, with Washington coming in for a showdown Monday night. 

Boston has already caught Tampa Bay for the No. 2 seed in the conference and passed the Lightning by.

With 17 games remaining in the season, the Lightning hope to find their spark yet again.

"We've battled through a lot of adversity throughout the year," wing Marty St. Louis said. "Right now, we're in the middle of it."

As they've done so many times this season, Tampa Bay looks to find their way out.

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For a road weary club, the five day respite from the brutality of NHL competition is a welcome relief.

Yet in some ways, Tampa Bay doesn't want to stop playing hockey.

With the 2-0 shutout of the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, the Lightning won their fifth straight and their 10th of the last 14 games.

Sniper Steven Stamkos has taken over the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy (leading goal scorer in a season) and remains just a point behind the injured Sidney Crosby for the Art Ross (leading point producer).

Goalie Dwayne Roloson registered his third shutout in 10 games since joining the Lightning.

The Lightning have been particularly deadly in games decided by one goal, where Tampa Bay has amassed a 17-3-5 record with a 5-2 record in shootouts (including five straight shootout wins).

Making the plays in close games has been the difference in this year's squad.

"Everything we've gotten up to now," Head coach Guy Boucher told the St. Pete Times, "we've gotten because we've worked hard.

It's enabled the Lightning to build the third most points in the NHL (67), take over sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division and lead the NHL in overtime victories with 11.

The Lightning, who are 16-4-2 at home, will also get a break from their tough schedule, playing most of the month of February on home ice.

"I think right now, we just want to focus on getting a break, mentally and physically get away from the game, then come back and be refreshed for whatever happens,'' Roloson told reporters after the Toronto game, "We can't get too far ahead of ourselves, we just have to focus on what it is we need to do and that's win hockey games. It doesn't matter what we have done so far, we just have to focus on what we have to do game by game.''

What they've done is turned a young team that has been left out of the playoffs for the last 3 years to one that is a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup.

The Lightning are on pace to surpass the team record of 106 points by the Stanley Cup Champion squad in '04.

With the leadership of Guy Boucher and the brilliance of GM Steve Yzerman, the Lightning may bring Stanley back for another sunburn.

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Tampa Bay has played a league-high 26 road games this season, including seven of their last 10 games. That's about to change. Last night began a string of 15 of the next 18 games that will be played at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Ironically the three road games are up front, as Tampa Bay has a home game against New Jersey Friday, then jets out to Carolina the next night.

The Lightning come home for a game against Columbus before heading on the road for two Southeast Division games against Atlanta and Florida.

After that, Tampa Bay has nearly the entire month of February on home ice with a 12-game home stand.

The well traveled road certainly has been a concern for head coach Guy Boucher.

"This is probably the first time where I feel our players are tired,'' he told the Tampa Tribune, "Before that, they were still going and it felt like the battery was always recharging quickly. Right now, it's not recharging quickly, it's a little tougher.''

If the Bolts were tired, they didn't show it on Wednesday night. For the second time in as many games, the Lightning's new acquisition, Dwayne Roloson, shut out the Washington Capitals as Tampa Bay cruised to a 3-0 victory and retook sole possession of first in the Southeast Division. The Lightning are only two points behind top seed Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference.

With their victory last night, Tampa Bay boasts the second best home winning percentage in the NHL with a 13-3-2 record.

An extended stay on home ice could provide a bit of cushion for the Lightning over Washington, who plays 11 of the next 19 on the road. Washington is just 9-9-2 away from Verizon Center.

"I spoke to some of our (veteran) guys, and they normally tell me they are fine, but they said, 'We'll be honest coach, we're traveled out,' and we are the team that has traveled the most in the league,'' Boucher told the Tribune.

"We've played a lot, we've had a lot of injuries and it means that we've overtaxed a lot of our players. So this last trip, we really felt it, and in the next days we'll try to do what we can to make sure we recharge."

Playing at home for the first extended period of time will only help.

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It's been an amazing beginning for owner Jeff Vinik, General Manager Steve Yzerman, and Head Coach Guy Boucher. Usually a team with this much turnover in the front office doesn't fair that well the first year—as players are shipped in and out, a system is learned and the roster is crafted to support it.

Both Boucher and Yzerman warned fans during training camp that it might not be a quick turnaround, and that the Lightning could take a few steps back before they advance forward.

It's one of the few things this season the dynamic duo have been wrong about.

Record: 24-12-5 (53 points), first in the Southeast Division, second in the Eastern Conference

Second Quarter Record (20 games): 12-5-3 (29 points)

Current Pace: 48-24-10  (106 points)

Most Valuable Player: Steven Stamkos, Fwd

What else can you say about Steven Stamkos that hasn't already been written?

31 goals and 56 points, both second in the NHL, a league leading 13 power play goals, Stamkos has been unconscious offensively.

His speed and skill has opened up the ice for his linemates as well. Ageless Martin St. Louis is third in the league with 51 points.

As long as Stamkos is on the ice, Tampa Bay has a shot at winning.

Most Improved Player: Teddy Purcell, Fwd

If there's one player who's game has benefited from head coach Guy Boucher's aggressive style, it's Teddy Purcell. The speedy Purcell already has career highs in goals (six) and points (18), teaming up with fellow youngster Dana Tyrell to provide the Bolts a potent third/fourth line.

Purcell has been up and down the Lightning lineup, even seeing some ice time with Stamkos and St. Louis.

He's also improved on defense. A -9 plus/minus (including his time in LA) last season, Purcell has brought that down to a -3.

Most Disappointing Player: Simon Gagne, Fwd

When the Lightning acquired Simon Gagne from the Philadelphia Flyers, they knew they were taking a chance with the oft-injured forward. They hoped he would team with captain Vincent Lecavalier to give the Lightning a dangerous one-two punch in forward lines.

Unfortunately, Gagne was injured early in the season and since his return he hasn't developed the chemistry that Tampa Bay hoped he would have with Lecavalier.

Gagne's played in 23 games, scoring 3 goals and 4 assists.

Tampa Bay hopes that if he can stay healthy the second half of the season, he may be able to provide the secondary scoring that can propel the team deep into the post-season.

Best Game of the season:  Nov.18, Tampa Bay 8, Philadelphia 7

One of the wildest regular season contests in recent memory, the Tampa Bay Lightning three times overcame two goal deficits to pull off an improbable victory.

The clubs combined for nine goals in the first period then traded blows through the second before Nate Thompson scored the only goal of the third period to provide the margin of victory for the Lightning.

Worst Game of the Season:  Jan. 5, Pittsburgh 8, Tampa Bay 1

Coming off an emotional war with the Washington Capitals the night before, the Lightning completely mailed in the second end of the back-to-back road trip against two of the Eastern Conference elite. The Penguins made the Lightning pay, humiliating Tampa Bay with 6 goals in the first period, three against Dwayne Roloson—who looked so solid the night before.

Roloson, who returned later in the game after getting pulled in the first period, was ultimately responsible for five of the eight goals.

Tampa Bay gave up the first goal six seconds into the game and was never in it after that.

What We've Learned:  The Lightning are streaky

Tampa Bay is one streaky team this season. After opening the season with a 7-2-1 record, the Lightning lost six of seven. They followed that up with a five game winning streak followed by a 2-3-2 run. They're currently on another hot run, going 9-2-1 in their last 12.

What We Don't Know:  Can the Lightning survive their subpar goaltending?

Lightning fans hoped the answer had been found between the pipes when Tampa Bay acquired former Isles netminder Dwayne Roloson. Sure enough, Roloson was sensational in his Lightning debut, shutting out Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals.

The next night, Roloson surrendered five goals in an 8-1 loss to Pittsburgh. One of the strange truths about the Lightning's season is they've posted the third best record in the Eastern Conference despite surrendering the most goals in the conference.

Only Edmonton, who is last in the Western Conference, has surrendered more goals than Tampa Bay. The Lightning have given up five of more goals in a game seven times this season.

If the Lightning hope to contend for a Stanley Cup, either Roloson or one of their younger goalies will need to find consistency and provide some stability in front of the net.

Prediction- Playoffs, but no division title

There's no doubt in my mind the Tampa Bay Lightning will end their two year exile from post-season and will get in the Stanley Cup tournament.

Unfortunately, they won't be a top 3 seed as division champion—at least not until they solve their goaltending issues. Dwayne Roloson could very well be the answer to that problem, but it's difficult to count on a 41-year-old goalie night in and night out.

You can only outscore opponents 5-4 for so long. Your snipers will go through their slumps and the scoring just won't be there—if you don't have the ability to keep the puck out of your net then you're going to find yourself in a bit of a tailspin.

The Bolts have banked enough points to survive a prolonged losing skid but with the Capitals and Thrashers hot on their heels—it may cost them a division title.

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Roloson posted his first shutout of the season in his Tampa Bay debut, blanking Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on 34 shots.

As the two co-leaders of the Southeast Division traded body blows, it was Roloson who matched the 22-year-old Washington goalie Semyon Varlamov stop for stop.

Goose eggs abound through three periods, Roloson appeared to exhale a sigh of relief when Martin St. Louis deposited a rebound to give the Bolts a huge 1-0 overtime victory.

It put the Lightning alone atop the Southeast, but it means so much more.

In their previous two contests with the Caps, the Lightning were winless, having been outscored 12-3. It has to give the Lightning a measure of confidence that they've finally broken through against Washington.

Yzerman traded away minor leaguer Ty Wishart for Roloson, who was wasting away on the bench of the bottom feeding New York Islanders. Roloson, in his 13th NHL Season, started 20 games for the Islanders and managed a disappointing 6-13-1 record despite posting a respectable 2.64 GAA and a .916 save percentage.

Roloson's save percentage is better than both incumbent goalies in Tampa Bay, Dan Ellis and Mike Smith.

The 34 save shutout of the Caps was the 25th of his NHL career.

What Roloson may bring the most is experience in a playoff run. Roloson was between the pipes when a little regarded Edmonton Oilers club advanced all the way to Game 7 of the 2005-06 Stanley Cup Finals.

If the early returns are any indication, Steve Yzerman has shown his brilliance once again.

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Tampa Bay has weathered a schedule of 19 road games, that included a stretch of nine-of-11 on the road and two West Coast road trips.

The Lightning have also had to overcome injuries to key contributors Vincent Lecavalier, Simon Gagne and Steve Downie.

While Tampa Bay's 17-10-4 record is a testament to the determination of their young hockey club, the Lightning are still looking for the consistency that you expect from a Cup contender.

Whether it's a product of the schedule, injuries or a combination, Tampa Bay is the only team among the Eastern Conference top eight that has given up more goals (107) than they've scored (96).

Last night, Tampa Bay surrendered a league worst seventh shorthanded goal and they find themselves near the bottom in goals against.

Goaltenders Dan Ellis and Mike Smith each have shown flashes of brilliance and maddening inconsistency. Rumors had GM Steve Yzerman talking with former San Jose Shark All-Star goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who was recently released from his contract with KHL St. Petersburg (Russia) to attend to a family matter, although at this point it looks like those discussions are just exploratory.

Tampa Bay's been a bit of a streaky club, with two streaks where they've won seven out of 10 games and stretches where they lost six of seven. They're back on a winning streak after suffering through another cold stretch where they lost five of seven, including an 6-0 drubbing against the Capitals and an 8-1 beat down by Boston.

Finding a handle on the Lightning this season has been difficult. This is a club that has won games 8-7 (at Philadelphia on Nov. 18) and 2-1 in a shootout (as they did last night against the Thrashers).

Tampa Bay is getting some great point production from both Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. They've also gotten contributions from some unlikely sources like Ted Purcell, Sean Bergenheim and Dominic Moore.

Head coach Guy Boucher's uniquely aggressive 1-3-1 system leaves his defenseman and goaltenders vulnerable to odd-man rushes and breakaways. It's led to only one of the Lightning's defensemen to have a positive plus/minus ratio (Victor Hedman at plus-one).

If the Lightning can solve the defensive puzzle, Tampa Bay could have a major say, not only in the SE division, but the Eastern Conference.

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A win by the Lightning and two measly points would separate the teams.

Instead of coming in with their best performance of the year, the Lightning wilted at the sight of Ovechkin, Semin and Poti. The physical style of Tampa Bay's game, their precision on the power play and their relentless forecheck disappeared into the fog of a 6-0 woodshed whipping administered by the Caps.

So the old dog still had some bite left and the young pup was left to lick its wounds.

Having won five straight, the Lightning were feeling pretty darn good about themselves. They had gotten through a hellacious run of 10 of 12 games on the road (including four on the West Coast) and still found themselves in the thick of the Eastern Conference. With Washington's slump, they rapidly made up the ground they had lost during the gauntlet.

Tampa Bay even had time to take photos and play street hockey in front of the White House.

Perhaps they should have conserved their energy for the Capitals.

"They'd won five in a row, and sometimes those are the teams you want to catch because they're due for a bad game," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters after the game.

Tampa Bay certainly picked the wrong night for it. Alexander Semin registered a hat trick for Washington, where Lightning defensive lapses allowed great chances for him to score.

"You can't expect to beat a powerful team like that coming in with your lowest work ethic and lowest level of execution," Lightning coach Guy Boucher told the St. Petersburg Times.

"I'm pretty sure there's tons of turkey feathers out there on the ice from the first minute to the last."

"You are on a high, you're winning doing all the things right, then all of a sudden to show up like (we) did tonight, it kind of makes you wonder where was the team from the previous five nights," defenseman Mike Lundin told the Tampa Tribune. "We need to figure out how to eliminate games like tonight."

Despite the tough lesson, the Lightning are still right in the thick of things. Currently fifth in the Eastern Conference with 28 points, Tampa Bay remains within shouting distance of the Capitals.

However, until the Lightning can learn how to beat the top dog (they've been outscored 12-3 in their two meetings this season), they can't hope to end Washington's run of three straight Southeast Division titles.

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When the Bolts began this portion of their schedule, they entered a four game West Coast swing with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 5-2-1.

After last night's 6-3 loss in Washington, Tampa Bay is fourh in the conference at 8-5-2.

It's not so much the amount of road games the Lightning are facing—there's been many an NHL club that has faced a tough stretch—it's how they're grouped together that has Tampa Bay feeling the effects.

A four game west coast swing, followed by a home game, then a back-to-back road trip against two of the best teams in the NHL (Washington and Pittsburgh), followed by another home game, then three more on the road.

Its as if the NHL tried to stack the deck against Tampa Bay in the 2010-11 season. You can't blame the NHL scheduling committee on this one though, as the Lightning ASKED FOR THIS.

That's right, former GM Brian Lawton requested a road heavy first half of the season. We can only wonder why he did it. Maybe he was trying to sabotage then-coach Rick Tocchet. Perhaps the owners want the majority of their home games after the Buccaneers football season was over. Or maybe Lawton just hoping the team would bond together with so many road trips.

Whatever his rationale, it's another Lawton mistake that this time new GM Steve Yzerman can't clean up.

"The reality is, you're getting all these road games, one after the other, while some other teams are home, and you compare yourself with the points," Lightning coach Guy Boucher told reporters. "But the comparison is hard to make now, and it's going to be even harder in the next month.

"Right now for us is trying to get out of this jungle alive for the next month."

Injuries are mounting for the Lightning, who lost superstar Vincent Lecavalier last night for four weeks with a broken hand. They were already without Simon Gagne and Steve Downie. 

If the Lightning do survive this torrid road schedule, they could emerge a tighter, more determined hockey team with a bevy of home games to make up any ground they lost.

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