We’ve reached the point where these series are changing location. But only one of these matchups has the potential of a team taking a complete stranglehold of a series, and the team fending for their lives has lost home-ice advantage. Meanwhile, 2-1 series leads are up for the taking if you’re Vegas, Winnipeg, Toronto, Tampa Bay, or Colorado and Seattle.

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It’s time to look ahead at tonight’s Game 3s.

During the Stanley Cup playoffs, The Athletic’s writers will make their straight-up picks. You’ll find picks, coverage and the latest odds here. Our in-depth NHL coverage is linked below the picks.

All odds from BetMGM and update live. 

Series tied 1-1

4 p.m. on TBS, SN, CBC

Yes, the Jets missed their opportunity to go up 2-0 on the Golden Knights. The worst is that Winnipeg’s mistakes led to goals against. Silver lining: if the Jets play a tighter game and maintain a lead, they can get back on top. This time, they’ll benefit from their home crowd and one of the best postseason atmospheres in Winnipeg for the next two games. If you picked them to win this series as a “trendy” upset pick, you still have every right to feel confident.

Meanwhile, Vegas’ stars woke up in Game 2. Mark Stone. Jack Eichel. Chandler Stephenson. Even Phil “The Thrill” Kessel picked up a pair of assists. Laurent Brossoit’s job is tough enough as it has to go up against a Jets team filled with offensive talent and his old buddy Connor Hellebuyck. His offense needs more games like Game 2, and the Golden Knights cannot afford to fall behind once Games 3 and 4 are done.

Rangers lead series 2-0

8 p.m. on ABC, ESPN+, SN1, CITY

Hey, uh, New Jersey Devils? It’s me, a random writer at The Athletic. I need you to get so close to me right now. You’re down two games to none, and you’re playing your next two games on Broadway? You guys are in trouble. You scored on the power play in Game 2, but now you’re 1-for-8 with the man advantage. There is still no consistent plan in place to knock Igor Sheshterkin off his game. And now, Patrick Kane has engaged in playoff mode. Get your heads in gear and figure it out because you’re not inspiring much confidence.

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The Rangers? You’ve got two games at home to finish this off. Don’t get overconfident. Meanwhile, Chris Kreider is on the verge of having a postseason to remember. He already has four power-play goals through two playoff games. The all-time record for most in a postseason is nine by Cam Neely and Mike Bossy. If the power play continues to click, and the Devils remain undisciplined, the Rangers have a genuine chance to end this series much earlier than many anticipated.

Game 3 – Maple Leafs at Lightning

Series tied 1-1

7 p.m. on TBS, SN, CBC

Through three games, it’s hard to tell who has the advantage. It feels eerily similar to last year’s Lightning-Leafs series in that respect. The Leafs made key adjustments in absence of Michael Bunting and gave Ilya Samsonov more than enough run support. The key will be continuing to exploit a Lightning team that is hurting on the back end, with Erik Cernak and Victor Hedman clearly not at 100 percent.

But as long as the Lightning still have Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy, among others, it’s difficult ever to count them out completely.

Game 3 – Avalanche at Kraken

Series tied 1-1

10 p.m. on TBS, SN360

If the Kraken are going to complete the upset, they will have to pry the series from the Avalanche’s cold, crafty and brutal hands.

The Avalanche will need more from Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, though. When you add in Mikko Rantanen, the trio has a combined three points (one goal, two assists). It means more pressure on depth pieces like Arturri Lehkonen and Devon Toews (both had two-point games against Seattle) to pick up the slack. But they’ve still earned the benefit of the doubt that they’ll continue to rack up wins in the series.

If you’re Seattle, pump up the Nirvana and lean all the way into your home advantage. Your goaltending has already played above expected to this point but more will be needed from Philipp Grubauer. But this series has shown that the Kraken are on the right track with its core with pieces like Yanni Gourde and Jared McCann. Matty Beniers, still pointless, is due for his moment as well.

(Photo of Jack Eichel:  David Becker / NHLI via Getty Images)