Tampa Bay @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 30, 2019 ) Washington 6, Tampa Bay 3

The Washington Capitals found a way to earn a victory last time out despite getting outshot 40-20 and seek a sharper performance with the same result Friday when the Tampa Bay Lightning pay a visit. The Capitals managed two goals combined in a pair of losses before scoring four times and getting 37 saves from Braden Holtby to hold on for a 4-3 victory over Florida on Wednesday, remaining tied for the league lead in points (39).

“We made a few mistakes, and they end up costing us at some tough times in the game,” Washington coach Todd Reirden told reporters after the victory. “But we responded in the third, and that’s what it’s about. Mistakes are going to happen in the game, and it’s how you respond to them.” The Lightning, who took two of three from the Capitals last season after losing to them in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference final, saw their season high-matching three-game winning streak come to an end Wednesday with a 4-3 loss to St. Louis. “It’s a hard team over there to play against, and they capitalized on the few mistakes we made,” Tampa Bay defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk told reporters. “We’ve just got to keep our heads up because we’ve got some tough opponents coming up here.” Lightning captain Steven Stamkos (seven goals, 20 points) missed the last three games with a lower-body injury, but took the morning skate Wednesday and could return either against the Capitals or at home versus Carolina on Saturday.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (12-8-2): Reigning Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov is starting to warm up with goals in three straight contests and 13 of his team-leading 24 points in the past eight games. Brayden Point is also on a roll with four goals in the past four contests to pull within two of 100 in his career and fellow center Anthony Cirelli scored again Wednesday, giving him five to go along with four assists in a six-game span. Shattenkirk has revived his career in the Sunshine State this season with 18 points and a plus-9 rating in the first 22 games after averaging 25.5 points with a combined minus-29 the past two years with the New York Rangers before being bought out.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (17-4-5): John Carlson (98 career goals) has been kept off the scoresheet in consecutive games for only the second time this season, but leads the team and all defensemen in the league with 36 points - 13 in the past 10 contests. Captain Alex Ovechkin leads the team with 16 goals and needs two points to tie Peter Stastny (1,239) for 38th in NHL history while center Evgeny Kuznetsov has warmed up with 14 of his 23 points in the past 11 games. Center Nicklas Backstrom (18 points) skated Wednesday but is still recovering from an upper-body injury, but forward Garnet Hathaway is eligible Friday after serving a three-game suspension for a spitting incident.

OVERTIME

1. Tampa Bay D Erik Cernak will sit out the second contest of a two-game suspension for an illegal elbow Monday against Buffalo.

2. Washington RW T.J. Oshie was kept off the scoresheet his last four contests, but registered six points in three games against Tampa Bay in 2018-19.

3. The Lightning are third in the league on the power play (31.9 percent) after going 6-for-15 in the past four contests.

PREDICTION: Capitals 4, Lightning 3