Tampa Bay in second in Southeast Division
The Capitals have been the dominant team in the NHL’s Southeast Division the past two seasons, but could they finally see a legitimate challenge to their crown in 2010-11?
The Tampa Bay Lightning visit Verizon Center on Thursday night as a rejuvenated team. No longer plagued by a chaotic management structure and now led by a brilliant young star, Tampa Bay (8-4-2, 18 points) is off to a strong start and in second place in the Southeast behind Washington (11-4-0, 22 points), which won the division by 11 points in 2008-09 and an astounding 38 last season.
The Lightning have a new owner in Jeff Vinik and a new general manager, the legendary Steve Yzerman. Center Steven Stamkos leads the league in goals (13) and points (24) and at just 20 years old has pushed his way into the conversation with Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as the league’s best player. Stamkos tied Crosby for the goals title last season with 51 — one more than Ovechkin.
“We think they’re a really improved hockey team,” Caps forward Brooks Laich said. “Watching some of their games, seeing their results I think they made some great moves in the offseason and have improved their club.”
Tampa Bay bottomed out in 2007-08 with the fewest points in the NHL — that allowed them to draft Stamkos — and had the league’s second-worst record in 2008-09.
Washington, meanwhile, recalled center Marcus Johansson from Hershey of the American Hockey League on Wednesday and sent goalie Semyon Varlamov down. The Caps have won five in a row, tied for their longest winning streak since the franchise-record 14-gamer from Jan. 13 to Feb. 7, 2010.
