Caps Take on Tampa Bay
Two nights after clinching a playoff berth, the Caps face the Bolts for the third time in 15 nights
The Caps' final road journey of the 2018-19 regular season continues on Saturday night in Tampa when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning for the third time in 15 nights, closing out the three-game season's series between the two former Southeast Division rivals. The Lightning have taken each of the first two games this season, with the Caps claiming a point in a 5-4 overtime loss in Washington on March 20.
When last they met 10 days ago in the District, the Caps rebounded from a 3-1 deficit on Evgeny Kuznetsov's last-minute goal with the extra attacker. Tampa Bay netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy made 54 saves that night as the Caps pumped a single-game franchise record 58 shots at him before Victor Hedman won it for the Lightning in overtime.
The Caps carry a modest three-game winning streak into Saturday's game with the Lightning, and they are 10-3-1 in March as the head into their final game of the month. Washington posted a 10-4-0 record in March of 2018, months before lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time.
Washington comes in on the heels of consecutive wins over Carolina in a home-and-home set, the first set of consecutive regulation losses the Hurricanes have suffered since Jan. 15-16. After a thorough defensive effort led to a 4-1 win over the Canes on Tuesday in Washington, the Caps slogged their way back from a 2-1 deficit on a slushy sheet in Raleigh on Thursday night, taking a 3-2 victory that earned them a playoff berth for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.
Discipline was a key in the wins over Carolina. The Caps didn't take a minor penalty in Tuesday's game and were not penalized until the final five minutes of Thursday's game.
"Again, we just take the one penalty," says Caps coach Todd Reirden. "That's something we have been talking about all year, and against a team like this it's really important. That allowed us to spread out some of the minutes again and not overtax our guys. And yet, when we have to have a big kill at the end, we do. And then [we managed] a really big five-on-six situation as well.
"To me, it's a real challenge to hold this team to under 30 shots. And for us to do it back-to-back, that says a lot about our defensive commitment."
Washington has allowed two or fewer goals in four straight games; its second longest streak of that type this season. The Caps held foes to two or fewer goals against in five straight games from Dec. 19-29.
But even though the Caps have nailed down a playoff spot, have posted a 19-7-2 record since the All-Star break, and have been playing consistently strong hockey over most of that stretch, they can't afford to take their foot off the gas pedal. They lead the Metropolitan Division by three points with four games remaining. But the fifth place team in their own division is still mathematically capable of finishing ahead of them in the division standings.
For the Caps, the last four games are about maintaining their consistency, their detail and their good habits, while also bringing in as many points as possible. The Caps authored a strong 12-3-0 finishing kick last season, so they know the value of playing well down the stretch and going into the playoffs on a strong note.
"I think there is definitely an incentive to win the division with match-ups and everything," says Caps winger Brett Connolly. "You want to win your division, and we have four games left, so we're going to try to win every game - that's our mindset. We also want to play really well going into the playoffs, so these are a big four games for us, and for the Islanders in the last game of the season.
"We want to win a few games before that for sure, so it doesn't come down to one game for the division. It will be a tough game in Tampa, but we've played them very well and we think we're due for a different result there. We've just got to keep playing well."
While the Lightning clinched everything that's relevant long ago, it can still match or erase a couple of all-time league standards that have stood for decades. The Bolts are at 59 wins and 122 points with five games remaining on their slate. The all-time league record for wins in a season is 62, set by the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings. That mark is within reach, and the Lightning could surpass it.
The all-time NHL standard for most points in a season is 132, established by the Montreal Canadiens in 1976-77 when the Habs finished with a 60-8-12 record. If they run the table in their last five games, the Bolts can match that hallowed mark.
Tampa Bay's seven-game winning streak came to a halt with a 4-3 loss to the Blues in St. Louis on Saturday. Two nights later, the Lightning got back on the beam with a 5-4 home ice win over the Boston Bruins. The Lightning was down 4-2 heading into the third period of the Boston game, but rallied for three goals in the third to win in regulation. Anthony Cirelli supplied the game-winner at 19:07 of the third.
The Bolts have been sitting idle since that win on Monday, but they'll be busy down the stretch as they play five games in eight nights to close out the campaign. Saturday's game with the Caps is the Lightning's home finale for the season; Tampa Bay takes off on a four-game road trip on Sunday.
