The set-up: The Tampa Bay Lightning held on to the East's No. 1 seed when Boston lost its final game of the regular season at home to the Florida Panthers back on April 8. The Lightning drew the East's No. 8 seed in the New Jersey Devils, who finished 16 points behind them. Tampa Bay held serve on home ice by taking Games 1 and 2 (5-2 & 5-3) but the Devils proved in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series with the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning that they are not a team simply content with reaching the postseason. New Jersey climbed back into this first-round series with a 5-2 comeback win and can square the series when they host the Lightning in Game 4 on Wednesday. Taylor Hall registered a goal and two assists, as the Devils rallied from one-goal deficits twice and scored four times in the third period for a 5-2 victory on Monday.

Tampa Bay: The Lightning led 1-0 in the second period and then 2-1 after captain Steven Stamkos' goal 38 seconds into the third. However, the Lightning gave the Devils seven power plays, four in the third period alone, and New Jersey tied it on a 5-on-3 advantage to spark the four-goal uprising. Nikita Kucherov had a pair of assists to increase his team-leading total to six points in the series for Tampa Bay. Left wing Alex Killorn became the second Tampa Bay player to score in each of the first three games of a playoff series with a goal on Monday to join Vincent Lecavalier, who did it in four straight against New Jersey in 2007. The Lightning have scored five of their 12 goals in the series with the power play on nine chances and their much-maligned penalty kill is 10-for-12, giving up one of those while down two men. Right wing Ryan Callahan (upper-body), a key on the penalty-killing unit, sat out Game 3 but participated in the morning skate Monday and could return to the lineup soon.

New Jersey: Cory Schneider replaced Keith Kinkaid in net for Game 3 and was outstanding when he needed to be, especially in the third period when he gloved a Tyler Johnson point-blank chance while laying on the ice. "(Schneider) was just unreal," Taylor Hall told reporters. "I'm so happy for him after the last couple months, where he's been and him sitting out. He's such a great teammate, nothing's changed about his personality, then he comes in a steals the game for us. It's just awesome." Schneider earned his first win since Dec. 27 with 34 saves Hall is coming off a Hart Trophy-worthy regular season, (39 goals and 93 points) and turned in a brilliant performance Monday. He as five points in the first three games of the series. Hall tied the game with his second goal of the series in the second period, then assisted on Butcher's game-tying tally and made a gorgeous rush up ice before setting up Stefan Noesen's eventual game-winner at 12:55 of the third period.

The pick: "Any momentum they gained in that game was because of our penalties, and every penalty we took it seemed was 200 feet from our net," Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper told reporters. "It was too bad because I thought for two periods, and then after getting the go-ahead goal, we had control of that game. … We did it to ourselves." He's right. The Devils can be had but the Lightning didn't get the job done. However, Tampa Bay should not be lacking in confidence, even after its Game 3 loss. After all the Lightning are still up a game and in the driver's seat in the series. A win here and they would return to Florida with a chance to close out New Jersey.I expect just that to happen, as the Lightning did not trail for a single second over the first 172 minutes, 55 seconds of the series. Make Tampa Bay an 8* play.