The Capitals vs. Lightning matchup on Saturday brings Washington to Tampa Bay with a 1-0-0 record, while the Lightning are looking to rebound from a season-opening loss.
Capitals vs. Lightning game information
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
- Time: 7 p.m. EDT
- Venue: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, Florida
- TV/streaming: ESPN+
Storyline 1: How the Capitals opened
Washington beat Carolina 5-2 on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina. Alex Tuch scored twice in his Capitals debut, and Logan Thompson made 31 saves, according to NHL.com. Jakob Chychrun, Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson also scored.
Alex Ovechkin is the Capitals’ captain in his 22nd NHL season. Our Capitals vs. Hurricanes preview looked at how the team entered that opener.
Storyline 2: Carlson faces his old team
Lightning defenseman John Carlson, who spent 17 seasons with the Capitals, will face Washington for the first time. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start in net for Tampa Bay and would play in his 600th NHL game.
Storyline 3: Tampa Bay looks to rebound
The Lightning lost their opener 5-1 at the New York Rangers on Thursday, as covered in our game recap. Tampa Bay is 0-1-0 and plays its home opener Saturday.
Washington is on the second night of a back-to-back. Charlie Lindgren is listed as the probable starter, though the Capitals had not confirmed their goalie at the time of writing.
The Capitals are without defenseman Rasmus Sandin, who is injured and not on the opening-night roster. The Lightning’s lineup also remains a storyline, as seen in our look at Victor Hedman’s return.
What to watch next
Washington opens at Capital One Arena on Oct. 7 against Pittsburgh. The Capitals and Lightning meet three times this season.
