The Washington Capitals (26-21-8) defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning (30-23-5) 5-3 on Thursday night at Amalie Arena. It was the third loss in a row for Tampa Bay.
The Lightning fell behind 2-0 and 3-1 before goals from Nick Paul and Tyler Motte tied the game 3-3 at the 3:06 mark of the third period. The Capitals got the game winning goal from Rasmus Sandin at the 15:01 mark of the third, before Connor McMichael scored an empty netter, his second goal of the game.
The Lightning were playing without Erik Cernak, who missed the game with an illness. Defenseman Haydn Fleury left the game with an injury in the first period after taking a hit from Tom Wilson.
Andrei Vasilevskiy took the loss in net after making 19 saves on 23 shots against. Brandon Hagel's goal in the second period extended his point streak to 11 games for the Lightning.
The Lightning now go on the road for the next three games, beginning with an afternoon tilt against the Islanders on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop from UBS Arena in Elmont, New York is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Saturday.
PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES