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The Tampa Bay Lightning, 44-27-8 and sixth in the Eastern Conference, face the Washington Capitals, 37-31-11 and ninth in the same Conference, at the Capital One Arena in Washington on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, BSFLX and MNMT.
Tampa Bay suffered a 3-2 home loss to the Ottawa Senators in their most recent game on Thursday. On the same day, Washington also faced a 4-2 defeat on the road to the Buffalo Sabres.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals: Game Preview
The Capitals are averaging 2.63 goals per game and allowing 3.15 per game. Their power-play success rate is 20.5%.
Alexander Ovechkin leads their offense with 30 goals and 34 assists.
Dylan Strome has 27 goals and 38 assists, with Connor McMichael adding 18 goals and 15 assists. In goal, Charlie Lindgren has a 22-16-7 record with a 2.78 goal average and maintains a save percentage of .908.
Meanwhile, the Lightning have a GFA of 3.52, with a 29.0% success rate on their power play opportunities. On defense, the Lightning have a GAA of 3.23.
Brayden Point leads the team in scoring with 45 goals and 43 assists.
Brandon Hagel has contributed 24 goals with 48 assists, while Nikita Kucherov has netted 43 goals and added 98 assists. In goal, Andrei Vasilevskiy holds a 30-18-2 record with a 2.85 goals against average and a save percentage of .901.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals: Injury Report
The Capitals and Lightning are both dealing with a number of injuries.
For the Capitals, Nicklas Backstrom is out due to a hip injury, Rasmus Sandin is questionable with an upper-body injury, while Ethan Bear is out for personal reasons.
For the Lightning, Tyler Motte is questionable with an lower-body injury, Jonas Johansson is dealing with a lower-body injury, while Mikhail Sergachev is out due to a lower-body injury.
Haydn Fleury is questionable due to upper-body injury, while Anthony Duclair is questionable due to an illness
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals: Head-to-Head and Significant Numbers
The two teams have clashed 139 times. The Lightning are 48-76-6-9 against the Capitals. The Lightning have a 51.7% win rate in faceoffs compared to the Capitals' 46.6%. The Lightning have a 83.2% success rate in penalty kills compared to the Capitals' 78.8%.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals: Odds and Prediction
This season, Tampa Bay has won 29 of 47 games as the odds favorite and hold a record of 19-28 with odds less than -139, giving them a 58.2% chance of victory.
Meanwhile, the Washington have been the underdogs 60 times and have had 23 upsets. However, the Capitals has gone 21-27 when odds list it at +117 or longer, giving the team a 46.9% chance to win tonight's contest.
Prediction: Lightning 4-3 Capitals
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals: Betting Tips
Tip 1: Lightning to win
Tip 2: Total goals over 5: Yes
Tip 3: Alex Ovechkin to score anytime: Yes
Tip 4: Nikita Kucherov to score first: Yes
Tip 5: Capitals to beat the spread: Yes
