Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Caps 2

Kind of a disappointing end to a season-long five-game homestand. The Caps had some chances tonight, but Tampa Bay outworked them when it mattered. The Lightning tied up sticks up front, kept the Caps to the outside as best they could and were opportunistic. Brandon Bochenski scored on a perfectly placed wrister. Matt Walker scored off a faceoff win and a tap pass by teammate Stephane Veilleux. Vinny Lecavalier scored off his rib cage. That was all Tampa needed to build a 3-1 lead. Brooks Laich’s power-play goal at 11:09 of the third period brought the Verizon Center crowd to life. But the Caps couldn’t score the tying goal, even after pulling goalie Semyon Varlamov for the extra attacker.