TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are half way to a Stanley Cup crown. 

• City of Tampa downtown traffic/parking
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• NHL playoffs

And it seems like everyone in Tampa Bay wants to be a part of it. 

Tonight, when the Bolts open the Eastern Conference finals against the Washington Capitals, expect congestion in downtown Tampa and choked roads heading that way. 

The puck drops at 8 p.m.

• Eastern Conference Finals preview: Lightning vs. Capitals

The team sold out all 41 home games at Amalie Arena during the regular season and through the first two rounds of the playoffs. 

Add in another expected full house with the ramped up construction around the southern edge of downtown Tampa and expect a mess.

There are shifted lanes of traffic and some lanes are shut down. 

"Go online, plan a little bit," said Eric Blakenship, the Lightning's VP of Marketing. "If you have an opportunity to take a taxi or an Uber or a Lyft, it's not a bad way to go either.  

"But again, I think just a few minutes of pre-planning it makes the entire traffic and parking situation way easier."

With games, Friday and Sunday evenings, expect heavy crowds in and around downtown. 

Lightning fans are encouraged to arrive early. 

Additionally, there are other events occurring downtown and in the surrounding area, notably the opening of the new Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park and this weekend's Riverfront Rock fest.

City officials are advising fans to travel through the areas with caution and be mindful of pedestrians and cyclists.