Caps and Lightning square off again

Not only are will the Washington Capitals try to beat Tampa Bay for the first time in three tries in 2011 when the teams meet on Friday night, they'll be trying to something they couldn't manage in either of the two previous meetings: Score a goal.

The red-hot Lightning bring a six-game winning streak into the game at the St. Pete Times Forum -- a stretch that's been keyed by goaltender Dwayne Roloson. Since coming to Tampa Bay from the Islanders on Jan. 1, Roloson has four shutouts -- including two against the Caps. He's also coming off a 4-0 victory against Philadelphia on Tuesday. Washington arrives five points behind the Bolts in the Southeast Division standings after a 3-2 shootout loss to Montreal on Tuesday.

The NHL Network will air the game in the United States, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Friday's six-game schedule begins a half-hour earlier. Buffalo becomes the last team to resume play after the All-Star break when it visits Pittsburgh. The Penguins are 7-3-1 without Sidney Crosby, including a 3-0 victory against the New York Islanders on Wednesday. Also at 7, the Florida Panthers finish a six-game road trip in the same place where they started -- at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Devils are 8-1-1 after Thursday's 3-2 win against the Rangers in New York.

Also at 7:30, Detroit returns home after Wednesday's 7-5 win at Ottawa to host Columbus, which has been off since losing 7-4 to Chicago on Tuesday.

A half-hour later, Edmonton tries to bounce back from a 3-1 home loss to Los Angeles on Wednesday when it visits St. Louis. Thanks to the bad weather that forced the postponement of Tuesday's game against Colorado, the Blues are also playing their first game since the All-Star break.

Two teams that know each other well get together in the final game on the schedule. The Blackhawks head to Vancouver for a meeting with the League-leading Canucks -- a team they've eliminated from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The Canucks are back home after a 6-0 demolition of the Coyotes in Phoenix on Wednesday. TSN will air the game in Canada.