Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz: Golden Knights try to take 3-1 lead in West

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs Buzz, a daily look at the 2018 NHL postseason. There were two games Tuesday, each was decided late in the third period.

On Tap

There are two games Wednesday, one featuring the Vegas Golden Knights looking to move within one win of the conference final:
Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS) - The Lightning, who are 1-3 at TD Garden in the postseason and were 0-2-0 there this season, will look to reverse that trend in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round. After losing 6-2 in Game 1, the Lightning won 4-2 in Game 2 to even the series. With Boston having the last change, look for coach Bruce Cassidy to try to get favorable matchups for the line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak, which has combined for 45 points (12 goals, 33 assists) in nine games this postseason.
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks (10 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS) - The Golden Knights will try to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Second Round and stay unbeaten on the road in the postseason. After Vegas won 7-0 at home in Game 1, the road team has won each of the next two games in overtime.
Here are the scores from Tuesday:
Eastern Conference
Washington Capitals 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 3
Western Conference
Winnipeg Jets 7, Nashville Predators 4

What we learned

Here are some takeaways from Day 21 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:

These Capitals might be different

In the past, this was the kind of game the Washington Capitals would lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round was the type of back-and-forth battle the Penguins found a way to win when the teams met in the second round each of the past two seasons. This time the Capitals did, erasing Penguins leads of 2-1 and 3-2 before Alex Ovechkin scored the winning goal on a 2-on-1 with 1:07 remaining in the third period. The Capitals lead the best-of-7 series 2-1; they need two more wins to eliminate the Penguins and prove this team is different.

Tough night for Murray

Penguins goaltender Matt Murray has been good this postseason and usually rebounds after a loss. But he wasn't at his best in Game 3, allowing four goals on 22 shots. Murray is 10-2 in his NHL career in playoff games following a loss. The only other time he lost consecutive playoff games was Games 3 and 4 against the Nashville Predators in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

Predators have consistency issues

The Nashville Predators played smart and were opportunistic in scoring the first three goals of Game 3, but that momentum quickly went out the window during the second period of their 7-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. The Predators were excellent in fits and starts during their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche, eventually winning in six games, but their erratic play has continued in the second round against the Jets. Returning to a consistent game will be one of the Predators' biggest priorities for Game 4 and beyond.

Jets effective when defense unleashed

Winnipeg looked tentative and played a laid-back style in the first period, characteristics that do not fit its hockey DNA. That changed in the second when the Jets' defensemen, Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba in particular, began carrying the puck into the offensive zone and pinching whenever possible. Suddenly it was the Predators who were on their heels and spending multiple shifts boxed into their defensive zone. Coach Paul Maurice said his Jets are at their best when they keep their foot on the gas, and that starts with a mobile defense pushing the envelope as Winnipeg did during the final 40 minutes.

About last night

Washington Capitals 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 3-- Ovechkin had the last word in a see-saw game, scoring the winning goal with 1:07 remaining in the third period to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Second Round. Ovechkin took a pass from Nicklas Backstrom, took a shot that hit the right post and then batted the puck out of midair and into the net for the decisive goal. Braden Holtby made 19 saves for Washington, which is 4-0 on the road this postseason. Murray made 18 saves for the Penguins.
Ovechkin's goal was the second-latest game-winning goal in regulation in Capitals playoff history, behind only Joel Ward, who scored with two seconds left in the third in a 2-1 win against the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Second Round. Ovechkin's goal was the latest game-winner in regulation in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton scored at 19:04 of the third period in Game 2 of the 2016 Western Conference Second Round against Nashville.
Winnipeg Jets 7, Nashville Predators 4 -- The Jets fell behind 3-0 in the first period but overwhelmed the defending Western Conference champions, scoring four times in the second period. And after Nashville tied the game at 4-4, Winnipeg scored three goals in the final 4:59 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series. Byfuglien and Blake Wheeler each scored two goals for the Jets.
It was the fourth game this postseason to have at least 10 combined goals (54 games played). The last postseason to feature more such instances through the first 54 games was in 2010, when there were five.