It's Stadium Series day in the NHL, but I'm dropping the puck earlier with a Best Bet in one of the first games on the card, as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals meet in D.C. for a critical Eastern Conference clash.
The Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to seven games on Thursday, wrapping up a three-game homestand with a 3-0 victory over the Calgary Flames. Nikita Kucherov scored the opening goal late in the first period for the Lightning, and teammate Erik Cernak made it 2-0 in the third period. Brandon Hagel’s empty-net goal sealed the win.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 28 saves in his fourth shutout of the season as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Calgary Flames 3-0 Thursday. Statistically, the Flames led the Lightning in nearly every category.
The Tampa Bay Lightning hope to pick up where they left off before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Winners of an Eastern Conference-high four straight games, the Lightning will re-start their season on Sunday evening by hosting the Seattle Kraken.
NHL action on Saturday includes the Tampa Bay Lightning (34-20-4) visiting the Washington Capitals (38-13-8) at Capital One Arena, starting at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The Lightning rank fourth while the Capitals are first in the Eastern Conference.
Welcome back to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey takes a look at the games that are scheduled and offers insight and analysis to help predict who will be victorious in head-to-head matchups.
Brandon Hagel, coming off a Team Canada victory in the showcase event, gives Tampa Bay a spark with a shorthanded goal.
Radio broadcaster Dave Mishkin recaps Tampa Bay's 3-0 win over Calgary Once again, the Lightning defended at a high level. They limited opposition scoring chances and received timely saves from Andrei Vasilevskiy. It has been a formula that has worked well during their season-long seven-game winning streak.
The Washington Capitals (38-13-8) hit the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning (34-20-4) during Saturday’s NHL schedule, starting at 12:30 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena and broadcast on ESPN+. The Capitals are first in the Eastern Conference (84 points),