The Tampa Bay Lightning have seen a vast improvement in their play over the course of the last two games. Can the Bolts keep momentum on their side as they travel to the Verizon Center to take on the Washington Capitals in the final part of their back-to-back series?
The Tampa Bay Lightning has certainly taken their fans on a rollercoaster ride this season. After starting off the season with a bang, the Bolts seemingly feel face first into one of the biggest downward spirals in recent history. Thankfully, the Lightning has found a way to pull themselves out of their recent skid.
By defeating the St. Louis Blues last night at the Amalie Arena, the Lightning have put together back-to-back wins for the first time since November 19th when the Lightning defeated the Philadelphia Flyers. As you can imagine, as the team makes their way to the Nation’s Capital, they hope to keep momentum on their side.
Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning will charge into the Verizon Center in the Nation’s Capital to take on Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning squeaked their way past the Capitals in their first meeting of the season, defeating the Capitals 2-1 in the shootout. If the Lightning wants to emerge victoriously against the Capitals tonight, they are going to need a little more than luck on their side.
Sure, the Lightning is dealing with a seemingly insurmountable amount of injuries and illnesses right now. Despite that, the team is finally starting to build a chemistry with one another and they are doing what some thought to be the impossible; they are turning things around, scoring goals, and most importantly, winning games.
Right now, it is the line of Brian Boyle, Jonathan Drouin, and Valtteri Filppula who have been lighting things up for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jonathan Drouin has picked up four goals and three assists in his last five games for a total of seven points.
Valtteri Filppula has silently slipped his way into third place on the team in terms of overall points. In the last five games, Filppula has six assists, including a three-point night on December 14th against the Calgary Flames. He may not be the goal scorer of the line, but he sure as heck knows how to set up a play.
This brings us to the magic stick of Brian Boyle. Boyle knows exactly how to set himself up in front of the net and have his stick in just the right place to make the deflection and pick up the goal. In the last five games, Boyle has brought home four goals and an assist for a total of five points.
Yes…the Tampa Bay Lightning are coming up against one of the best goal scorers in the league in Alex Ovechkin. At the same time, the Lightning have defeated the Capitals before and there is nothing preventing the Lightning from making this a repeat performance.
The one thing we here at Bolts By The Bay know for sure is this is going to be an intense game. The youth of the Lightning is facing off with the veteran ice presence of the Capitals. Lightning fans definitely won’t want to miss a moment of the action.
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Are you looking for a place to discuss tonight’s action with like-minded Tampa Bay Lightning fans? Well, look no further! If you want to join the party, scroll down a bit until you reach the comments section and let your voice be heard. We’ll be here all night discussing the night’s action and bringing fans all the latest updates.
We hope you enjoy the game, and most importantly…LET’S GO LIGHTNING!
Topics: Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference