The Tampa Bay Lightning (34-20-4) travel to face off against the Washington Capitals (38-13-8) on Saturday, March 1st. This game will be played at Capital One Arena in Washington and televised on ESPN+. Both the Lightning and Capitals will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:30 ET.

Lightning vs Capitals

The Tampa Bay Lightning Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Tampa Bay fell to 34-20-4 after a 7-4 loss to the Jets. The Lightning were underdogs on the puck line, and the total of 11 goals easily surpassed the pre-game line of 6.5 goals.

The Lightning held a 2-0 lead early, but their defense faltered, giving up seven goals, including two empty-netters. Four different players scored for Tampa Bay in the loss.

The Washington Capitals Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Washington’s 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes dropped their record to 38-13-8. The Capitals were the underdogs on the puck line, and the total for the game was set at 6 goals, resulting in a push.

After giving up the first goal, the Capitals responded with two of their own in the first period. However, the Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals to secure the win.

Tampa Bay Offense Breakdown

Brandon Hagel opened the scoring for Tampa Bay in the first period, netting his 7th goal of the season. Brayden Point followed with his 8th, which came on a power play. Mitchell Chaffee added his 4th goal in the second period, and Nikita Kucherov scored his 10th, unassisted, in the third.

The Lightning took 30 shots on goal and recorded 8 giveaways. They finished with 4 assists, including Jake Guentzel’s 8th and Nick Paul’s 7th of the season.

Capitals Offense Breakdown

Washington’s offense started strong but fizzled in their 4-2 loss to Carolina. Alex Ovechkin netted his 7th goal of the season on a power play, while Brandon Duhaime followed with his 2nd goal. The Capitals registered 21 shots on goal and picked up 15 giveaways.

Ovechkin scored at the 19:16 mark of the first period, and Duhaime added another just 33 seconds later, at 19:49. John Carlson earned his 7th assist on Ovechkin’s goal, and Dylan Strome picked up his 13th assist. Nic Dowd also contributed with his 2nd assist of the season.

Tampa Bay Team Defense

Tampa Bay’s defense struggled late, giving up three goals in the 3rd period, including two empty-netters. Jonas Johansson made 27 saves with an 84.4% save percentage, and the Lightning’s defense recorded 6 takeaways and 16 hits.

Washington Team Defense

Defensively, the Capitals gave up the first goal at 5:59 in the first period and then three more after taking a 2-1 lead. The Hurricanes scored at 2:29 and 5:26 in the second period, and added an empty-netter with 9 seconds left in the third. Charlie Lindgren made 41 saves with a 93.2% save percentage, while Washington’s defense recorded 2 takeaways and 20 hits.

Lightning vs Capitals Trends

• The Lightning are 2-1 puck line in their three last road games and 2-1 straight-up.
• In their last three games at home, the Capitals have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 3 goals per game in this stretch.
• The Capitals have played well in their last three games as the betting underdog, going 2-1 straight up and 3-0 against the spread.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Lightning have a straight up record of 8-2. Their record vs the puck line in these games was 7-3.

Lightning vs Capitals Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Lightning to defeat the Capitals while playing on the road. Given the current moneyline odds at -109, I’m placing a wager on the Lightning to win outright.

Our projections have the Lightning pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Lightning, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the over/under line set at 6 goals, our prediction is that this game will exceed that mark, and we strongly advise placing a bet on the over.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.