Penguins - Lightning Game 3 Pre-Game Chatter

Penguins @ Lightning (Series tied, 1-1

When: 7:30 p.m. | Where: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Florida

-- The series shifts to Tampa Bay tonight in a pivotal Game 3. This is a response game for a Penguins team that was embarrassed on home ice in Game 2. Pittsburgh is 9-1 in their last 10 Game 3's.

-- Can the Penguins get away with another poor start? Most likely not. The team dodged a bullet in game 1 with how well Marc Andre Fleury played but in Game 2 Fleury was not strong and unable to bail out a Penguins team that was plagued by continuous defensive breakdowns.

A growing concern for the Penguins: Dating back to the final regular season game between the two teams, Tampa Bay has been the more dominant team during the first period, scoring 2 or more in two of the three games.

The Lightning have scored the first goal in their last 4 meetings with Pittsburgh.

-- Temperatures are in the mid 80's and there were concerts on Saturday and Sunday over the weekend. The ice could be a factor in tonight's game.