At last, it’s Capitals-Lightning
Well, it’s about time.
In one of those bizarre NHL scheduling quirks, the Washington Capitals will face the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first time this season Saturday night.
The Atlantic Division-leading Lightning have been the NHL’s dominant team this season with 112 points heading into the weekend.
The Capitals lead the Metropolitan Division after winning the Stanley Cup last season and knocking out the Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals along the way.
Tampa Bay, the home team Saturday, has won 15 of its past 17 starts, while Washington has won eight of its past nine.
The second meeting will take place Wednesday night in Washington with the third and last regular-season get-together at Tampa Bay March 30.
Blue Jackets
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 46 shots — including 22 in the second period — to get his sixth shutout of the season, as host Columbus beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-0, Friday night.
Adam McQuaid, David Savard and Josh Anderson scored for the Blue Jackets, who pulled even with the Hurricanes for the two wild cards in the Eastern Conference. Both teams are four points behind the third-place Penguins in the Metropolitan Division.
Bobrovsky set a franchise record for saves in a shutout.
Petr Mrazek, who had won his past six starts, didn’t have a whole lot to do after the Blue Jackets tallied twice in the first period, especially in the second when Carolina kept the puck mostly in its offensive zone. He finished with 17 saves.
McQuaid got his third goal of the year — his first since being acquired from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline — at 3:08 of the first period.
Golden Knights
It was big night for former Penguins as visiting Vegas beat Dallas, 2-1. Forward Ryan Reaves scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 40 shots as the Golden Knights grabbed a key win. It was Fleury’s 35th victory this season. It also marked the Golden Knights’ seventh in their past eight games and enabled them to remain third in the Pacific Division.