The Lightning vs Capitals score was 3-1 on Saturday night as Tampa Bay won its home opener at Benchmark International Arena. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves, and Jake Guentzel sealed it with an empty-net goal.
Both teams are now 1-1-0.
How the Lightning vs Capitals score reached 3-1
Tampa Bay took control early. Charle-Edouard D’Astous scored at 2:26 of the first period, with Brandon Hagel assisting. Conor Geekie made it 2-0 at 16:30, again with a Hagel assist. Both goals came at even strength.
Washington answered in the second period. Justin Sourdif scored at 7:04, assisted by Jakob Chychrun and Boone Jenner.
That was as close as the Capitals got. Guentzel scored into an empty net at 17:55 of the third period, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and John Carlson.
Vasilevskiy keeps Washington quiet
Vasilevskiy faced 21 shots and stopped 20 of them, a .952 save percentage, and was named the game’s first star. Hagel, with two assists, was the second star.
Tampa Bay outshot Washington 30-21 and won 62.5% of the faceoffs. The Lightning also led in hits, 30-24, and blocked shots, 19-14.
Neither team scored on the power play. Tampa Bay went 0-for-3, and Washington was 0-for-2.
What’s next for Tampa Bay and Washington
The Lightning lost 5-1 to the Rangers in their season opener on Thursday, a game we covered in Rangers beat Lightning 5-1. They host Philadelphia on Monday.
Washington beat Carolina 5-2 on Friday, as our Capitals-Hurricanes recap explained. The Capitals return home Wednesday to host Pittsburgh. For more on this matchup, see our Capitals vs. Lightning preview.
Game details from ESPN and NHL.com official statistics.
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