The Caps have been in the Lightning's skates before, facing the team that eliminated them from the postseason the previous spring. This is Washington's first time on the other side of the equation, and although they've beaten Columbus, Pittsburgh and Vegas during the regular season, they own a 3-5-2 record against those teams in 2018-19, the season after knocking them out of the playoffs.
"I think we're excited to play them," says Caps goalie Braden Holtby of the Lightning. "We've been in that situation before and we know that it doesn't come easy. You still work. We're excited to get there and test ourselves because it's going to be a good hockey game. Obviously, it was a good series last year and they'll be looking forward to playing us too. So we're just excited to play a game that's similar to playoff hockey."
Washington will be coming into Saturday's game on a heater, with eight wins in its last nine and 10 in its last 12. For the Caps, Saturday's game is the third of a four-game road stretch. After falling in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, the Caps took down the Flyers in Philadelphia on Thursday, getting two goals from Brett Connolly and another from Lars Eller, as the team's third line saw more ice time than its first in a 5-2 win.
"There's no secret that's one that guys are going to be looking at," says Connolly, who debuted in the NHL with the Lightning in 2011. "Haven't played them yet so we got them three times here. They're obviously tearing the league up, there's no question.
"I think they're going to want to make a statement with how it ended for them last year so we've got to be ready to go. They're obviously a dangerous team and is going to be a good test for us, a good test for them and we can't wait to get there and get that game going. It's going to be a great game."
While the Caps have had two seven-game winning streaks for just the second time in franchise history in 2018-19, the Lightning has had three winning streaks of at least seven games this season, and it went 15-0-1 over a 16-game stretch in midseason.
Tampa Bay comes into Saturday's game with a 15-2-0 mark in its previous 17, and with the league's most potent offense at 3.82 goals per game and the league's best power paly at 29 percent.
"There are things I really want to build on from this game," said Caps coach Toddn Reirden after Thursday's win over the Flyers. "They didn't have one five-on-five high danger chance in the third period, and that's different than how it's been with us with the lead, and that comes with better puck management and not trying to make something out of nothing. And that says a lot about a response from your team, but a team response in how we are going to play.
"That's something that needs to be at the top of our priority list against a team like Tampa Bay. They're extremely dangerous, and well ahead of everyone else in the league and we are going to have to be at our best to compete with them. We've got them 3 times here's and I'm sure they got a little something extra at stake given how last year went. It will be a great challenge for us to see how we match up against what is the best team in the league."
