Capitals set for 'measuring stick' showdown with Lightning

The defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals are who every other NHL team measures itself against.

Even the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Capitals (42-22-7) and Lightning (54-13-4) meet at Amalie Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SUN, NBCSWA, NHL.TV), the first of three games between them in a 15-day span; they play at Capital One Arena on Wednesday and again at Tampa Bay on March 30.
The Lightning top the League standings with 112 points, 18 more than any other team and 21 more than the Capitals, who have 91.
Washington is approaching Saturday as a chance to measure its play as part of its preparation for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but Capitals forward Brett Connolly said, "It's a measuring stick for them too."
It will be the first time the teams have played since the Capitals eliminated the Lightning in seven games in the Eastern Conference Final last season.
"They've got [Saturday] circled on the calendar I bet," said Connolly, who was selected by the Lightning with the No. 6 pick of the 2010 NHL Draft and spent his first four seasons with Tampa Bay. "I know those guys, played with all of them. Very committed group, very determined. Lot of guys who are very eager to win a championship there. It's going to be a lot of fun."
The Capitals won three of four games at Tampa Bay during the conference final, including a 4-0 victory in Game 7. Since 2012-13, the Capitals are 13-3-3 against the Lightning in the regular season, including 5-2-2 at Amalie Arena.

"It's a very dangerous team with a lot of talent up front," Capitals center Lars Eller said. "At the same time I think we have a formula for being successful against them."
And what is that formula?
"It's being physical when you can and playing well without the puck," Eller said. "The better you play without the puck, give them less time and space, it's going to create more offense for us. And then I think key is staying out penalty box for sure, that's a big one."
There will be more to it than that for the Capitals, who hold a two-point lead over the New York Islanders for the Metropolitan Division lead. But with eight wins in their past nine games they're feeling confident.
Forward Alex Ovechkin, who leads the NHL with 46 goals, is four away from his eighth 50-goal season and is on the way to winning the Rocket Richard Trophy, given to the top goal-scorer in the League, for the sixth time in seven seasons and eighth time in his career.

Coach Todd Reirden said he saw a few positive signs in Washington's 5-2 win at the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. The Capitals took a 2-0 lead after one period, on goals by Connolly and Eller, and then held the Flyers to four shots on goal at 5-on-5 in the third period.
"They didn't have one 5-on-5 high-danger [scoring] chance in the third period," Reirden said, "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 three times here and I'm sure they've 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."
The Lightning have a chance to become one of the best teams in NHL history. They won 5-4 against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday for their 54th victory, and with 11 games remaining can become the third NHL team to win 60 games in as season, joining the 1995-96 Red Wings (62) and 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens (60).
With one more win, Tampa Bay they would become the winningest team in its history with the most points in its history; the Lightning also won 54 games last season and had 113 points.
Tampa Bay leads the NHL with 271 goals, and its League-best 29.0 percent success rate on the power play is the best in the NHL since the 1982-83 Edmonton Oilers (29.3 percent).
Center Steven Stamkos, with 383 goals in his NHL career, needs one goal to break a tie with Vincent Lecavalier and become the Lightning's all-time leading goal scorer.

"They're obviously tearing the League up, no question," Connolly said. "They're going to want to make a statement because of how it ended for them last year. We've got to be ready to go. They're obviously a dangerous team. Good test for us, good test for them. Can't wait to get there and get that game going. It's going to be a great game."