<p>
The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals resume their best-of-seven showdown in the Eastern Conference Finals this Tuesday night with Game 3. NBC Sports Network will carry the national broadcast from Capital One Arena starting at 8 p.m. (ET).
</p>
<h2>
Tampa Bay at Washington Overview<br />
</h2>
<p>
Tampa Bay lost a grand total of two games in its first two best-of-seven playoff series against New Jersey and Boston. Heading into Game 3 of this series, it has already matched that total following Sunday's 6-2 meltdown at home as a -189 favorite. The Lightning closed as -189 home favorites for Game 1, but they came up short in a 4-2 loss. The four combined goals in two games against Washington followed a stretch where they scored at least four goals in three of their previous four outings.
</p>
<p>
The lack of scoring in the first two games of this series should dial up the pressure on right winger Nikita Kucherov (six goals, eight assists) and center Steven Stamkos (five goals, eight assists) on Tuesday night as Tampa Bay's top two scorers in the playoffs. Each player posted an assist in Sunday's loss on the way to the Lightning' brief 2-1 lead at the end of the first period. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gone the distance in goal, and he has benefitted from his team's ability to light the lamp with a shaky 2.75 goals-against average in the postseason.
</p>
<p>
<strong>Get you NHL Playoff bets down on a reputable online sportsbook </strong>! Sign up at <a class="advblue" href="javascript:GoTo(Betonline)" title="BetOnline Sportsbook">BetOnline Sportsbook</a> and get a 50% deposit bonus up to $2500 FREE! In-Game wagering and more check them out!
</p>
<p>
Washington broke a dubious string of second-round exits in the playoffs with an impressive 4-2 series win against Pittsburgh. This followed a 4-2 series victory against Columbus in the opening round to carry the Capitals to their first appearance in the conference finals since 1998. They have now won their last four postseason games by a combined score of 18-8. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in three of those four games.
</p>
<p>
Alex Ovechkin has proven himself one of the top goal scorers in the NHL over the course of his 12-year NHL career. He led the league in goals (49) in the regular season and, with a goal to start the third period of Game 2, he has posted ten goals in 14 postseason games. Evgeny Kuznetsov has matched Ovechkin’s point total during this same span with eight goals and 11 assists. The top star on this team heading into Tuesday’s Game 3 could be goalie Braden Holtby. He has gotten the call in 13 previous playoff games, and he has responded with a GAA of just 2.04.
</p>
<p>
<span style="font-size:16px;"><b><span style="color:#008000;">Get more details:</span></b> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/nhl/matchup/978445">Tampa Bay at Washington NHL Match-Up</a></span>
</p>
<h2>
Tampa Bay at Washington Betting Trends<br />
</h2>
<ul>
<li>
The Lightning are 9-4 in their last 13 games on the road, and they have gone 3-1 in four previous road games in this year's playoffs. The total has gone OVER in 17 of their last 25 road games.
</li>
<li>
The Capitals have gone an even 3-3 at home in six postseason games as part of a 4-5 record over their last nine home games. The total has gone OVER in four of their last six games at home.
</li>
<li>
Head-to-head in this matchup, Washington has won four of its last five home games against Tampa Bay, and it is 10-3 in the previous 13 games overall. The total has gone OVER in 15 of the last 22 meetings.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="color:#008000;">Search for the best odds:</span></strong> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/nhl/odds">Live NHL Hockey Lines</a></span>
</p>