And regarding their "process", this one was a mixed bag. The Lightning's defensive issues from the two earlier games bled into the first period against Washington. The Lightning allowed three goals and yielded a number of open looks from prime scoring areas. A fourth Washington goal in the first period - scored on a rebound after another prime look from the slot - was taken away when the Lightning won an offside challenge.
The good news for the Lightning was that their team defensive play greatly improved over the final 40 minutes. While it's true that they endured some extended defensive zone shifts during the second and third periods, they limited Washington's scoring chance number. They defended hard in front of their own net, effectively tying up Capitals players and preventing them from getting off dangerous shots. They blocked many of Washington's shot attempts. They held the Caps to just 15 SOG over the final 40 minutes.
Unfortunately, one of those 15 shots went in. John Carlson's second power play goal of the game, scored at 16:35 of the second, proved to be the game-winner.
As for the Lightning's offense and Washington's team defense, the game followed a similar script. The Lightning generated a handful of Grade-A scoring looks in the first period and netted two goals. Then they produced fewer chances in the second and third. Caps goalie Ilya Samsonov had a dazzling save in the first, a stop with the shaft of his stick on Nikita Kucherov's backdoor redirection. In the second, Samsonov made a point blank save on Nick Paul's shorthanded bid. Then Paul put the rebound off the crossbar.
For most of the third period, the Lightning weren't able to create much of an attack. But when Jon Cooper pulled Andrei Vasilevskiy with about five and a half minutes left, the Lightning applied consistent pressure. They drew a penalty and Ross Colton ended up scoring on the ensuing six-on-four man advantage at 17:10. But the Lightning could get not closer.
The Lightning did experiment with some new forward line combinations, both at the start of the night and then within the game. We'll see how the combinations look when the Lightning host Boston on Friday. But however they decide to construct the lines, the Lightning will aim to play with the same solid team defense they showed over the last two periods against the Caps.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
1. John Carlson - Capitals. Two goals and two assists.
2. lya Samsonov - Capitals. 25 saves.
3. Nikita Kucherov - Lightning. Goal.
