After picking up their first win of the season in Boston, the Tampa Bay Lightning head south to face the Washington Capitals at 7 pm ET on Tuesday.
The Lightning got off to their first 0-2 start since the 2008/09 season, dropping high-scoring affairs at home to the Ottawa Senators (5-4) and the New Jersey Devils (5-3).
Anthony Cirelli scored twice as Tampa Bay broke free from that early snide and knocked off the Bruins 4-3 last time out. Pontus Holmberg added a goal and an assist for the Lightning, followed by Yanni Gourde with a goal, and Gage Goncalves and Jake Guentzel with two assists each.
Jonas Johansson made 30 saves on 33 shots in his season debut for Tampa. Andrei Vasilevskiy, last year’s Vezina Trophy runner-up with 38 wins, a .931 save percentage, and a 2.18 goals against average, rested after taking two losses to start the season. He currently has a 4.67 GAA and an .855 save percentage.
Tuesday’s opponents, the Capitals, picked up their second win in as many days on Sunday with a 1-0 shutout at the New York Rangers to complete an undefeated weekend in the Empire State.
Anthony Beauvillier tipped in a shot by Alexander Ovechkin midway through the second period for the winner, while Charlie Lindgren made 35 stops to post the shutout in his season debut for Washington.
Tampa isn’t having problems scoring goals, as they have 11 through three contests, but they have yet to give up less than three goals in a game and are allowing 4.33 per contest.
Vasilevskiy has not been sharp as of yet, but the expectation is for the five-time All-Star and 2018/19 Vezina Trophy winner to quickly regain his form.
Nikita Kucherov, the reigning and two-time Ted Lindsay Award winner, had 37 goals and a NHL-leading 121 points last season, while also tying for the league lead with 84 assists.
He, Gourdi, and Cirelli each have two goals, while Guentzel leads the team with four assists.
Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goal-scoring record last year, is still stuck on 897 goals. The nine-time All-Star and three-time Ted Lindsay Award winner as the NHL’s Most Outstanding Player, has two assists.
His struggles lighting the lamp mirror the Capitals’, who are averaging just two goals per game in its first three contests. Dylan Strome, who led Washington with 53 assists and 82 points last season, has no points through three games.
Washington’s struggles on offense, combined with its suffocating defense, suggest a much lower-scoring affair than what the Lightning have seen to date. Look for Tampa Bay to at least cover the 1.5-goal line as underdogs.
This is certainly a matchup of opposing strengths. The total has gone over in each of the Lightning’s last six games, as well as four of their last five on the road, dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, the total has gone to the under in seven of Washington’s last nine contests, including five straight at home.
Look for Vasilevskiy to return to form, while either Lindgren or Logan Thompson (1-1, 2.03 GAA, .930%) remain stalwarts in front of the Caps’ goal as well.
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Tampa Bay Lightning
+100
Washington Capitals
-120
Spread
Washington -1.5
Total
O/U 6
Nikita Kucherov (TAM)
+170
Brayden Point (TAM)
+180
Jake Guentzel (TAM)
+180
Alex Ovechkin (WAS)
+135
Tom Wilson (WAS)
+230
Dylan Strome (WAS)
+250
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
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