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Washington Capitals Preview: A Rematch with the Lightning

By Michael Marzzacco

TAMPA, FL - MARCH 16: Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette (13) face off during the NHL Hockey match between the Lightning and Capitols on March 16, 2019 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - MARCH 16: Washington Capitals right wing T.J. Oshie (77) and Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette (13) face off during the NHL Hockey match between the Lightning and Capitols on March 16, 2019 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Andrew Bershaw/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Didn’t these guys just meet the other day? As a matter of fact they did. After dropping the first game the Washington Capitals are looking for payback.

The Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning go head-to-head in a big Wednesday Night Hockey matchup on the NBC Sports Network. The Capitals, after dropping that first meeting with the Lightning, are coming off a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. For Washington, Wednesday marks the second game of a back-to-back.

Meanwhile the Lightning enter this game rested. Their last contest came on Monday night resulting in a 4-1 win to clinch the Presidents’ Trophy for the most regular season points in the NHL. The fact they clinched it so early meant there was a lot of separation. With a 56-13-4 record for 116 points the next closest team, the Calgary Flames is 19 points behind.

If the Capitals want success this go-around, it’s important they get off to a great start. Part of the reason they lost on Saturday was that slow start in the first 20 minutes. This time, with the home crowd on their side, a fast start would keep the fans going and engaged throughout the game.

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The Lightning play a fast game and are lethal on special teams on both the power play and penalty kill. They’re ranked first in both with a 28.4 percent conversion rate on the power play and an 85.7 percent success-rate on the penalty kill. Meanwhile, the Capitals are ninth on the power play with a percentage of 21.7 percent while their penalty kill is ranked 20th with an 80 percent success-rate. While it is overwhelming facing a top ranked team in both categories, the Capitals proved they were up for the challenge on Saturday night. The Capitals killed all four Lightning power plays and they struck on the power play with a goal from Alex Ovechkin.

The Lightning are led by Nikita Kucherov with an astonishing 117 points (35 goals, 82 assists). Their leading goal scorer is Brayden Point with 38 goals with Steven Stamkos right behind him with 36. The Lightning, like the Capitals, have five 20-goal scorers. They will most likely go with Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal, who’s been on fire lately with four straight wins. He carries a 35-8-4 record with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.

The Capitals are led by Ovechkin with 48 goals, leading the entire NHL. He scored twice on Saturday and he’ll hope to do that again to reach 50 goals. Brett Connolly scored on Tuesday night against the Devils to ensure the Capitals had five players with 20-goal seasons. Evgeny Kuznetsov needs just one more goal to join that 20-goal club while Nicklas Backstrom needs two. After Pheonix Copley got the start on Tuesday, the Capitals will go with Braden Holtby in goal Wednesday night. He’s 27-18-4 with a 2.91 GAA and a .909 save percentage.

It should be an entertaining rematch just like the first meeting. Make sure you’re in front of a TV or inside of Capital One Arena at 7:30.

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