5 Keys: Lightning at Devils, Game 4

LIGHTNING AT DEVILS
7:30 p.m. ET; GOLF, SN, TVAS2, MSG+, SUN
Tampa Bay leads best-of-7 series 2-1

NEWARK, N.J. --The New Jersey Devils will look to win their second straight game and even the Eastern Conference First Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Prudential Center on Wednesday.
Here are 5 keys for Game 4:
RELATED: [Complete Lightning vs. Devils series coverage]

1. Schneider earns second straight start

Devils goalie Cory Schneider will start his second consecutive game for the first time since Jan. 22-23. He made 34 saves in a 5-2 win in Game 3 on Monday.
"[Schneider] came in and played well," coach John Hynes said. "Like we said, we felt like our team collectively played pretty well and found a way to win. Cory was a big reason why so we will give him another opportunity tonight."

2. Lightning injury update

Forward Tyler Johnson (maintenance) did not practice Tuesday and is questionable. Forward Matthew Peca, recalled from Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Sunday, replaced Johnson on the second line with center Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat.
Right wing Ryan Callahan, who missed Game 3 because of an upper-body injury, remains day to day. He was replaced by Cory Conacher.

3. Problematic penalty kill

After allowing two power-play goals on the first three opportunities against the Lightning in Game 3, the Devils denied them on two more chances with the man-advantage.
"I think we're starting to pick up on some tendencies and that should help us," forward Blake Coleman said. "I think we started to get to our attack mode a little bit last game. We need to know when to be aggressive and when to kind of sit on it, and maybe block some shots versus jumping out at plays."
The Lightning are 5-for-9 on the power play in the series. The Devils are 2-for-12.

4. Hall-ing the offensive load

Left wing Taylor Hall has five points (two goals, three assists) in the series. He became the first Devils player in Game 3 to score three points in a playoff game since Zach Parise against the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Final.
"He's got the speed, the skill and he can move," Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said of Hall. "I think most of the night we did a pretty good job, but we've got to clog it up in the neutral zone and don't let him have the speed to get through us. We've got to get pucks deep when he's on the ice."

5. Cagey contributions

Star players need to excel this time in the season, but the series might ultimately be determined by the play of the second-tier performers. Coleman is tied with Hall for the Devils lead with two goals (one empty-net goal). He's been a force on the penalty kill and is tied with Kyle Palmieri for the lead in hits (13).
Forward Alex Killorn, who scored 15 goals in 82 regular-season games, leads the Lightning with four goals, three power-play goals and 11 hits in the postseason.

Lightning projected lineup

J.T. Miller -- Steven Stamkos -- Nikita Kucherov
Ondrej Palat -- Brayden Point -- Tyler Johnson
Yanni Gourde -- Anthony Cirelli -- Alex Killorn
Cory Conacher -- Cedric Paquette -- Chris Kunitz
Victor Hedman -- Anton Stralman
Ryan McDonagh -- Dan Girardi
Braydon Coburn -- Mikhail Sergachev
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Louis Domingue
Scratched:Andrej Sustr, Jake Dotchin, Slater Koekkoek, Peter Budaj, Matthew Peca
Injured:Adam Erne (lower body), Ryan Callahan (upper body)

Devils projected lineup

Taylor Hall -- Nico Hischier -- Kyle Palmieri
Marcus Johansson -- Pavel Zacha -- Patrick Maroon
Blake Coleman -- Travis Zajac -- Stefan Noesen
Miles Wood -- Brian Boyle -- Drew Stafford
Andy Greene -- Sami Vatanen
John Moore -- Damon Severson
Ben Lovejoy -- Will Butcher
Cory Schneider
Keith Kinkaid
Scratched:Jesper Bratt, Michael Grabner, Jimmy Hayes, Brian Gibbons, Joey Anderson, Mirco Mueller
Injured: None

Status report

The Lightning did not skate. … The Devils will use the same lineup from Game 3.