Although Tampa Bay won Game 5 to cut Pittsburgh's series lead to 3-2, the Penguins have a chance to clinch their opening-round series against the Lightning on the road tonight at St. Pete Times Forum. Historically, the Penguins have fared well on the road and in second-chance opportunities during the playoffs.
Here's a look at some of the numbers for tonight's game and the series as a whole:
The Penguins’ record on the road in their past six chances to close out a series.
The Penguins’ record in their past seven second chances to close out a series.
The Penguins’ record in their past nine road playoff games, including a perfect 2-0 mark in this series.
Marc-Andre Fleury’s record in the next game after being pulled from a contest during the postseason.
Fleury's save percentage (stopping 91 of 95 shots) in those three games. He's also earned a 1.33 goals-against average in those three contests.
Tampa Bay’s all-time record in series where they trailed 3-1. Both times they trailed by such a deficit (2003 Eastern Conference semifinals vs. New Jersey; 2006 Eastern Conference quarterfinals vs. Ottawa), they lost in five games.
The Penguins’ all-time record in series where they gain a 3-1 edge.
The number of shots
Tyler Kennedy fired in Game 5, marking a new career-high for the fourth-year forward. He represented 24 percent of Pittsburgh’s total shots that night (33).
Career postseason points for Alex Kovalev following his assist in Game 5 vs. Tampa Bay. Kovalev became the 78th player in NHL history to reach 100 points, notched through 121 career postseason games.
Career postseason points by defenseman
Kris Letang. He is now tied with Paul Coffey for third place on the team’s all-time postseason points list by a defenseman.
Head coach Dan Bylsma’s postseason winning percentage, the second-best among coaches still alive in this spring’s postseason. Bylsma is 26-16 overall and is the winningest coach in Penguins playoff history. A win tonight would lift Bylsma from a tie with Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman for most series victories in franchise history – currently, the two coaches are tied with 5-1 postseason series records.
The overall goals advantage held by the Lightning. Two other times in team history the Penguins have been able to win a series despite being outscored: the 1992 Patrick Division semifinals vs. Washington; outscored 25-27; won series 4-3; and the 2009 Stanley Cup Final vs. Detroit; outscored 14-17; won series 4-3.
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