The Tampa Bay Lightning could not turn things around after an abysmal outing Thursday night as they fell to the Washington Capitals 5-3 on Saturday for their second straight loss.
The Bolts completed their three-game season series against the Caps, going 1-2-0. Tampa has now lost seven of their last eight games against Washington.
Action Packed First
The Lightning and the Capitals did not have to wait long for the scoring to begin as both teams recorded two goals in the opening period. T.J Oshie got things started lighting the lamp twice for the first two goals of his eventual hat-trick. Oshie now has 29 goals on the season.
As should be expected, Nikita Kucherov was responsible for putting the Bolts on the board with his 15th powerplay goal of the season. He is currently tied for the lead league in power play goals. The goal was also Kucherov's 100th of his career and Tampa Bay's 54th powerplay goal of the season, a league best.
Alex Killorn would knot things up 16 seconds later with his 17th goal of the 2016-17 regular season. It was his first time lighting the lamp since February 4th.
Inability to Get Ahead
Although the Bolts were able to eliminate an early deficit, they could never find a way to capture the lead themselves. The second period would go scoreless for both sides and the Capitals would be the first to put one in net in the final period of play.
After surrendering two-straight goals to Washington, Kucherov made the game a little more interesting with 33rd of the season. Unfortunately, it just would not be enough. T.J. Oshie sealed the deal with an empty-net goal, his third of the contest.
A Must Win and a Should Win
Yes, the term "must win" could be applied to every game the Bolts have played since January. However, there is no better way to describe Tuesday night's contest at home against the lowly Arizona Coyotes.
The Lightning cannot afford to drop three games in a row at this point in the season. They especially cannot afford to lose to the second worst team in the NHL while they fight for a playoff spot. With the Islanders and Maple Leafs both securing one point yesterday with overtime losses, Tampa Bay has lost a little ground in the push for the second wild-card spot.
The deficit in the standings is far from insurmountable, only two points, but a third straight defeat would not be doing the Lightning any favors. Hopefully, the Bolts will be able to turn this slight decline in performance around before it is just too late.