The Washington Capitals look to build off the momentum of a successful road trip when they open a four-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
Washington answered a season-opening 3-1 setback to the visiting Boston Bruins with wins over the New York Islanders and New York Rangers.
Charlie Lindgren became the seventh different goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout in his season debut in the Capitals’ 1-0 victory over the Rangers on Sunday. Lindgren turned aside all 35 shots he faced and Anthony Beauvillier redirected captain Alex Ovechkin’s shot past Jonathan Quick in the second period for the lone goal of the game.
“I think our game is starting to round into form,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. “First game was OK. Second game better. Third game, (Sunday), we give up a little more than we did (against the Islanders). Probably you would say we played better overall (Saturday) but sometimes you’ve got to find ways to win. You need a great performance from your goaltender.”
They also received a strong performance from their penalty-killing units. Washington thwarted both of the Rangers’ power-play opportunities after going just 2-for-5 on the penalty kill in the previous two games.
“That was huge,” Carbery said. “Hopefully that gives our group a little bit of confidence there because it was a big moment in the game and to get out of that without giving one up was important.”
Ovechkin, who notched an assist for the second straight game on Sunday, scored his team’s lone goal in Washington’s last encounter versus Tampa Bay, a 3-1 setback on March 1. The three-time Hart Trophy recipient is three goals shy of 900 for his career.
While the Capitals have won two in a row, Tampa Bay will look to match that total after following up two losses to begin the season with a 4-3 victory over the Bruins on Monday afternoon. Anthony Cirelli scored two goals in the win.
“We came out flying,” said Cirelli, referring to his team’s 3-0 lead just 39 seconds into the second period. “It was a good start. We did some good things throughout the game. Obviously, there are some things we still need to get a little bit better at but it’s always nice to come out with a win.”
Cirelli’s linemates Jake Guentzel and Gage Goncalves notched two assists apiece for the Lightning.
“Gonzo and Guentz are two unbelievable players, and they make so many plays,” Cirelli said. “They’re so skilled and they know where guys are before it happens. Both of them made unbelievable plays on those two goals, so it doesn’t happen without them.”
Tampa Bay also killed all five short-handed situations, including a hooking penalty in the dying seconds of regulation.
“There was so much good about tonight, and there were a lot of winning habits,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We’ve just got to keep shuffling the losing ones out. But the compete (level) and to go down short-handed at the end there and huge draws by (Cirelli), we needed that. Hopefully we can continue that moving forward.”
