The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015-16 NHL season's foremost clash to date: Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
It's an event that needs no introduction, but a few keys don't hurt. Here are three things to consider before puck drop at Consol Energy Center on Thursday night:
If the Penguins get a lead, they mustn't sit on it
Pittsburgh's erased two series deficits, also needing a win in an elimination scenario on the road to tee up the decisive clash on home ice. But from game-to-game and shift-to-shift in the series, they must be considered the more dominant team.
The Penguins have created nearly 100 more Corsi events, and registered 68 more shots on goal than Tampa through six games. They've outshot the Bolts in each meeting, three of which by at least a plus-15 margin.
Where they've fallen into trouble, however, is in protection of their leads. The Lightning erased multi-goal deficits twice to force overtime - winning once - and were close to pulling the trick for a third time in Game 6 before Bryan Rust iced it on a breakaway.
Should the Penguins jump out early, they cannot let the Lightning overrun them on the Corsi clock like they did in Game 6. Instead, they must show the killer instinct they had in Game 3, when they peppered the opposing goal with 48 shots in a contest they never trailed.
Who's got net?
It's no longer a question of who's starting; barring a nonsensical decision to turn to an unpracticed vet, Matt Murray and Andrei Vasilevskiy will oppose each other in Game 7. But only one of these young goaltenders - prospects emerging as bona fide future No. 1s - can prevail.
So, who?
Vasilevskiy, with the ice primarily titled toward his net, has been consistently brilliant since spelling an injured Ben Bishop in Game 1. He owns a .921 save rate in seven appearances, only showing vulnerability - and often volatility - in moments when his defense fails him.
Murray, meanwhile, has had stinkers, allowing three or more goals in six of his 14 starts. But at the same time, he's cancelled out the noise in big spots - none more important than his 29-save performance in Game 6 after briefly being unseated by longtime starter Marc-Andre Fleury.
Invariably, the netminders in a Game 7 are of utmost importance. But who has the edge over the other; well, that's anyone's guess.
Second strike
Perhaps the difference in shot disparity between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay falls on the fact that the Penguins hide weapons up and down the lineup, while the Bolts rely primarily on a handful of top-six contributors.
Brian Boyle's provided important, albeit outlying, production, but, aside from that, Tampa's depth has been muted. Ryan Callahan, Valtteri Filppula, J.T. Brown, Cedric Paquette, and Vladislav Namestnikov have combined for four goals and 16 points in the playoffs, and six points versus Pittsburgh, placing the onus almost entirely on the skilled positions.
By contrast, the Penguins have received at least two goals this spring from every single forward whose appeared with any regularity, and 14 total points from their fourth line.
But that's the thing with these win-or-go-home games. It's almost always the case that a name that's sat dormant throughout arrives with a massive moment. And the Lightning certainly have more who can classify for such distinction.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.