by : Jay Recher
In a game that the Lightning desperately needed to have, especially after Thursday night's 5-0 loss to the Leafs, the Bolts just couldn't get it done as they fell to the visiting Capitals 5-3 on Saturday night at Amalie Arena.
The score was tied at two heading into the third period, but goals by Justin Williams and John Carlson gave Washington a lead they would not relinquish.
The Capitals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st on a pair of goals by TJ Oshie, but the Lightning showed a lot of fight and came back.
Nikita Kucherov snapped a shot past Washington goalie Brayden Holtby for a power play marker at 15:52, and just 16 seconds later, Alex Killorn rifled one in from the slot to knot the game at two.
The Bolts closed the game to one on a Kucherov shot off the faceoff with 90 seconds left, but Oshie secured the hat trick with a backhanded shot lofted high in the air and into the empty net to seal the game for the Caps.
Holtby stopped 25 of 27 shots, while Vasilevskiy stopped 30 of 34.
KEEPING IT 100 : Kucherov's goal in the 1st period was the 100th of his NHL career.
What's Next for the Bolts : The Lightning are back in action Tuesday night as they welcome the Arizona Coyotes to Amalie Arena. Game time is slated for 7:30pm with the pregame show kicking things off at 7:00pm on NewsRadio 970WFLA.
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
1. Washington - PPG - Oshie - (Johansson, Backstrom) - 3:44
2. Washington - Oshie (2) - (Ovechkin, Backstrom) - 11:52
3. Tampa Bay - PPG - Kucherov - (Point, Palat) - 15:52
4. Tampa Bay - Killorn - (Drouin) - 16:08
2ND PERIOD
NONE
3RD PERIOD
1. Washington - Williams - (Niskanen, Burakovsky) - 3:14
2. Washington - Carlson - (Oshie, Backstrom) - 5:30
3. Tampa Bay - Kucherov (2) - (Point) - 18:30
4. Washington - Oshie (3) - (Backstrom) - 19:16
PENALTY SUMMARY
1ST PERIOD
1. Tampa Bay - TEAM - (Too Many Men) - 2:33
2. Washington - Oshie - (High Sticking) - 15:24
3. Washington - Wilson - (Roughing) - 18:37
4. Washington - Carlson - (Roughing) - 18:37
5. Tampa Bay - McKegg - (Roughing) - 18:37
6. Tampa Bay - Brown - (Roughing) - 18:37
2ND PERIOD
NONE
3RD PERIOD
1. Tampa Bay - Drouin - (Interference) - 1:01
SHOTS ON GOAL
Washington - 35
Tampa Bay - 29