Stamkos Nets His 40th, Lightning Beat Capitals 2-1

For a Tampa Bay team desperately trying to remain relevant in the Eastern Conference playoff race, Steven Stamkos tallied his NHL-leading 40th goal of the season as the Lightning defeated the Washington Capitals by a score of 2-1 on Saturday night.

Tom Pyatt's rebound goal just 2:10 in the game got the Lightning off to a fast start, and some nice stick work by Stamkos brought the fans to their feet in the second period. Playing in front of his home crowd at the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Stamkos intercepted a wayward Capital pass at the Lightning blue line before taking the puck in past goalie Tomas Vokoun for the breakaway goal and a 2-0 lead. Only 22-years old, the talented Stamkos is already making his mark in the record books of his franchise, becoming the first Tampa Bay player to ever register three consecutive seasons with at least 40 goals scored.

The Capitals cut into the lead after a Brooks Laich score midway through the second period, but Tampa Bay managed to hold on behind some gritty defensive play and 23 saves from Lightning goalie Mathieu Garon.

Next up for the Lightning is a home tilt Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks. Currently sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, the Tampa will look to win their third game in a row and put some pressure on the teams ahead of them in the playoff hunt.

For more on this game and all things Lightning hockey, please check out Raw Charge. And for more on this and every NHL game, please check out the SB Nation NHL hub page.

Lightning Clinging To A 2-1 Lead Over Washington

In a highly competitive game, the Tampa Bay Lightning are clinging to a 2-1 lead over the Washington Capitals in the third period at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The Lightning are looking to win their second consecutive game, and to this point are showing plenty of determination in trying to fend of the last period charge of the powerful Caps.

Tampa Bay has held a slight lead throughout this contest, jumping to a 1-0 advantage in the first period as a result of Tom Pyatt's 6th goal of the season. The Lightning extended their margin over the Caps to 2-0 in the second period behind the 40th goal of the year scored by Steven Stamkos. Stamkos, Tampa's leader in goals scored, managed to beat Washington goalie Tomas Vokoun early in period. The Caps cut the deficit to 2-1 midway through the second period, but to this point all of their attempts to tie the game up have come up short.

For more on this game and all things Lightning hockey, please check out Raw Charge. For a view from the other bench, please check out SB Nation's Washington Capitals blog Japers' Rink.. And for more on this and every NHL game, please check out the SB Nation NHL hub page.

Lightning Vs. Capitals: Game Time, TV Schedule And More

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Lightning were outshot 50-25, but somehow found a way to defeat the San Jose Sharks, 6-5, in overtime. Tampa Bay (25-26-6) will be looking to do the same Saturday, as they host Southeast Division foe, the Washington Capitals, at the Tampa Bay Times Forum (7 p.m. ET on SunSports).

Tampa Bay will be trying to improve its season-series record over Washington to 3-1. On Jan. 31, the Lightning defeated the Capitals, 4-3, to take a slim 2-1 advantage in the series, which will feature six games.

For those fans who'd like to watch the game, here's the game time and TV information:

Location: Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa Bay, FL

Game Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV schedule: SunSports Network

Betting odds: Tampa Bay (-114)

For more on this game and all things Capitals hockey, please check out Japers' Rink. For a view from the other bench, please check out SB Nation's Tampa Bay Lightning blog Raw Charge. And for more on this and every NHL game, please check out the SB Nation NHL hub page.

Lightning Vs. Capitals Preview: Tampa Bay Hosts Washington Saturday

The Tampa Bay Lightning look to continue their recent success over Southeast Division foe, the Washington Capitals, Saturday night (7 p.m. ET on SUN).