Bolts can't overcome slow start, fall to Caps

An early four-goal deficit proved too much for the Lightning to overcome as they fell to the Capitals 6-3 at Amalie Arena on Saturday night.

Before the Bolts had even registered their first shot on goal, Nicklas Backstrom put Washington ahead, scoring midway through the first period. A pair of T.J. Oshie goals five minutes apart then gave the Caps a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Backstrom added his second goal of the game eight minutes into the second period, tapping home a cross-crease feed from Dmitry Orlov that would go on to be the eventual game-winner.

J.T. Miller got the Lightning on the board with his 13th goal of the year late in the second. Stationed in the slot, Miller redirected a Mikhail Sergachev point shot to make Tampa Bay's deficit three heading into the third period.
The Bolts then pulled within two less than four minutes into the third with Tyler Johnson converting on a breakaway. Johnson collected a loose puck at center ice and scored through Braden Holtby's five-hole.
That would be as close as the Lightning would come, however, as Alex Ovechkin scored a pair of late goals to put the game away for Washington.
Nikita Kucherov added a late power play goal to round out the scoring.
With Saturday's game being the third meeting between the Bolts and Caps in the span of 15 days, tempers flared. Several scrums broke out following whistles in the third period and the two teams combined for 36 penalty minutes on the night.
The Bolts will now embark on a four-game road trip to close out the regular season. First up is a matchup vs. the Senators in Ottawa on Monday night.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
WSH | 7:24 Nicklas Backstrom (20) - Tom Wilson, Christian Djoos
WSH | 10:45 T.J. Oshie (24) - Nick Jensen, Carl Hagelin
WSH | 16:00 T.J. Oshie (25) - John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov - PPG
2nd Period
WSH | 7:53 Nicklas Backstrom (21) - Dmitry Orlov, Chandler Stephenson
TBL | 17:25 J.T. Miller (13) - Mikhail Sergachev, Ryan McDonagh
3rd Period
TBL | 3:36 Tyler Johnson (28) - Unassisted
WSH | 14:35 Alex Ovechkin (50) - T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom
WSH | 16:15 Alex Ovechkin (51) - John Carlson, Evgeny Kuznetsov - PPG
TBL | 19:32 Nikita Kucherov (39) - Mikhail Sergachev, J.T. Miller