Welcome back to the playoffs, Sidney Crosby. After going seven straight games without scoring a goal, Sid the Kid picked a big time to strike. He scored the game-winner quickly in overtime for the Pittsburgh Penguins to knot the Eastern Conference Finals with the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into Wednesday's Game 3.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The Penguins were -210 on the moneyline on Monday night, and most assumed they were going to put the Lightning aside relatively easily. Instead, they blew a 2-0 lead in a span of just 10 minutes and had to get the job done in overtime.
Now that this series is shifting back to Tampa, the line is sure to move, too. The Lightning aren't going to be favored in this game in all likelihood, especially if Ben Bishop isn't back in the fold, but the margin is sure to be a heck of a lot closer than it was in Game 2.
GOALIE REPORT
It's amazing that Bishop is still listed as day-to-day at this point after getting stretchered off the ice just a few nights ago. Still, it's tough to argue with what Andrei Vasilevskiy did in Game 2. He was fantastic, stoning the Penguins time and time again in the third after such a sluggish start to the game. John Cooper will surely want Bishop back in the pipes, but Vasilevskiy has proven he's capable as a reserve.
Matt Murray could've easily folded after he allowed two first period goals to the Bolts on Monday night. Instead, he stopped the last 14 shots he faced to pick up the overtime victory.
Still, Marc-Andre Fleury is still waiting in the wings and could relieve Murray at any point, and we have to imagine at some point, he's going to play a role in this series.
LIVE BETTING
During the second intermission, Jeremy Roenick just crushed Crosby for what he perceived to be lazy and frustrated play. Sid the Kid had plenty of golden opportunities in the third, and he finally netted the winner in OT.
Since March 5, the Penguins are 10-0 when Crosby scores a goal, including going 5-0 here in the playoffs. If Crosby continues to put his assault on the Lightning net, something he wasn't able to do in Game 1 but did effectively in the third and in OT of Game 2, Pittsburgh is going to be in fantastic shape.
QUICK PICK
The Lightning really looked overmatched for much of Game 2, and we wonder if that's going to translate into a dud or two here at Amalie Arena. Game 3 is such a pivotal game for Tampa Bay to seize control of this series yet again, but we think this is where the cracks are going to start to show.
The Penguins did a fantastic job defensively on the top line for Tampa Bay in Game 2, and you really didn't hear Nikita Kucherov's name for most of the evening. The Lightning have kept their playoff hopes together by getting just enough production from everyone else, but they're really going to need Kucherov and Tyler Johnson to be significantly better in this game. Can they do it? We're not optimistic.
This might be where Pittsburgh takes control of this series once and for all.
NHL Odds: Penguins 4, Lightning 2
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