The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs have had plenty of action thus far through Round 1 and with a trio of Game 3s set to take center stage Monday night, there is a lot to watch for.
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The Penguins come home to Pittsburgh for the first time this postseason when they host the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in a huge swing game with the series tied 1-1.
From there, the Minnesota Wild host the St. Louis Blues with their series knotted at one game apiece while the playoffs return to Winnipeg for the first time in nearly two decades when the Jets host the Ducks down 2-0 in their best-of-seven set.
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Here are three key story lines to keep an eye on Monday night:
3) Road Warriors: After a let down on home ice in Game 2 against the Penguins, the Rangers travel to Pittsburgh with plenty of reason for optimism. Though New York dropped Saturday night's game by a 4-3 margin after a sloppy second period and lost home-ice advantage, it has played great away from the Big Apple. The Blueshirts won an NHL-best 28 road games in the regular season and will hope that it transfers over to the postseason on Monday. The Penguins finished 23-14-3 at home on the campaign.
2) There's No Place Like Home?: While the Rangers played great on the road, the Wild primarily struggled at home down the stretch of the regular season. Minnesota's 22 home wins ranked 19th in the NHL and the team went 15-12-6 at the Xcel Energy Center after winning seven of eight to start their home slate. The Wild also went 4-5-1 in their last 10 contests in Minnesota and 0-2-1 in their final three. The Blues went 24-12-5 on the road this season.
1) A Winnipeg Welcome: The Jets bring the Stanley Cup playoffs back to Winnipeg for the first time since 1996, the year before the original team moved to Arizona to become the Coyotes. There is likely to be a raucous crowd at the MTS Centre and the Jets can use all the momentum they can get as the team is down 2-0 and the Ducks are hoping to put a stranglehold on the series. One thing is for certain, the atmosphere will be electric Monday night in Winnipeg.
The NHL Stanley Cup playoffs roll on with three huge games Monday night.
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