Nuts and Bolts: Lightning host Caps for first time this season

The Lightning and Capitals will play three times in the next two weeks, beginning with Saturday's game at Amalie Arena.
This will be the first meeting between the two clubs since Washington defeated Tampa Bay in seven games in last year's Eastern Conference Final.

Lines from Thursday's game. Subject to change.
Forwards
Ondrej Palat - Steven Stamkos - J.T. Miller
Tyler Johnson - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn - Anthony Cirelli - Mathieu Joseph
Adam Erne - Cedric Paquette - Yanni Gourde
Defensemen
Victor Hedman - Mikhail Sergachev
Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak
Braydon Coburn - Jan Rutta
Goaltenders
Louis Domingue
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Saturday's Matchup
The Lightning and the Capitals are playing their first of three meetings this season and the first of two at AMALIE Arena...Tampa Bay and Washington will play all three meetings in the span of 15 days, including the first two games in a five-day span...The Lightning and Capitals are facing off for the first time since their seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Final in 2018, a series the Caps won 4-3 en route to their first Stanley Cup...Tampa Bay went 2-1-0 against Washington in the 2017-18 regular season, winning 4-3 in overtime in Tampa Oct. 9 (Brayden Point game-winning goal 3:08 into OT) and 4-2 at Washington Feb. 20...The Caps lone win in the regular season series came Nov. 24, a 3-1 home victory...Nikita Kucherov has points in seven-straight regular season games vs. WSH (6-3--9)...Brayden Point has recorded multiple points in three of his last four regular season games vs. WSH (3-3--6).
Saturday's Storylines
Tampa Bay matched its franchise record for wins in a season set previously in 2017-18 after picking up its 54th victory Thursday and can establish a new mark with one more win over its final 11 regular season games...The Lightning are the fourth team in NHL history to record 54 or more wins in back-to-back seasons, joining Montreal (58 wins in 1975-76, 60 wins in 1976-77, 59 wins in 1977-78), Boston (57 wins in 1970-71 and 54 wins in 1971-72) and Washington (56 wins in 2015-16 and 55 wins in 2016-17)...Tampa Bay needs eight wins over its final 11 regular season games to match Detroit's NHL record for most wins in a season (62 in 1995-96)...The Bolts' 54 wins are tied for the 12th most all-time in NHL history...The Lightning's 112 points are the second most in team history and one point from tying the franchise record for most points in a season (113 set in 2017-18)...The Bolts would have to collect 20 of a possible 22 points to match Montreal's NHL record for most points in a season (132 in 1976-77)...Tampa Bay's 29 home wins and 60 home points are tied for the second most in team history with four home games left to play (most: 32 home wins and 65 home points in 2014-15)...The Lightning's magic number to clinch the Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference and home-ice throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs is four... Tampa Bay's magic number to clinch its first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history is six.
Injuries
2018-19 Man Games Lost: 92
Current injuries
Dan Girardi (Lower Body; Day-to-Day) 3 Games
Anton Stralman (Lower Body; Day-to-Day) 3 Games
Parking Info
As our partners at Water Street Tampa continue to develop the 60 contiguous acres in the neighborhood surrounding AMALIE Arena, we ask for your patience and consideration when planning your visit to cheer on the Lightning or enjoy a concert, event or family show. We are pleased to report that the development project is well underway with a hotel and USF Health's Morsani College of Medicine in the midst of construction while we expect to see groundbreakings on several other projects during the 2018-19 season. Roadways are being realigned, traffic patterns are changing and new transportation options are emerging - all with a vision of creating a more user-friendly environment in the blocks surrounding AMALIE Arena.
As you plan your trip downtown, we aim to keep you informed of these new developments, offering you all you need to know about arriving at AMALIE safe and on time for your game or event.
Visit
TampaBayLightning.com/parking
for more information.
Tampa Bay Sports Item of the Game
adidas AM4 Lightning Third Jersey Sneaker
Only a limited number of adidas AM4 Third Jersey sneakers remain. Get your pair before they're gone by visiting TampaBayLightning.com/AM4TB.
The Road Ahead
Monday, March 18 vs. Arizona Coyotes
Wednesday, March 20 at Washington Capitals
Thursday, March 21 at Carolina Hurricanes