Game #68
Caps (45-13-9, 99 points) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (27-27-12, 66 points)
Didn’t we just do this? Yes. Yes we did. The Lightning are back at Verizon Center just eight days after a 5-4 Caps win last Thursday. It was exciting, though, wasn’t it? Caps lost a 4-2 lead in a matter of minutes thanks to Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier goals. But Scott Walker poked home his second goal of the night and lifted Washington to the win. Interesting lineup changes tonight for the Caps with John Erskine and Tyler Sloan back in on the blueline. Mike Green and Shaone Morrisonn is the other pair. Caps need to stay out of the box. The Lightning have absolutely destroyed them in recent games with the man-advantage, scoring on 7 of 17 attempts. Bruce Boudreau noted how skilled the Lightning are with a booming shot at the point in Kurtis Foster and big bodies to throw up front. The Caps still have to be better if they want to win tonight heading on a four-game road trip. Washington, of course, has already clinched the Southeast Division title after last night’s loss by the Atlanta Thrashers. Next up: home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, which the Caps can take a big step towards with a win at Chicago on Sunday.
