TAMPA — Midway through the third period at the Tampa Bay Times Forum the Washington Capitals had built up a three-goal lead. As time ticked down, they would need every last bit of that advantage.
The Tampa Bay Lightning scored a pair of goals in the final 7 minutes 58 seconds but couldn’t complete the rally as Braden Holtby and Washington held on for a 4-3 victory and a now three-game winning streak.
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Holtby stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced and was stellar early to keep the Lightning’s dangerous offense at bay and allow Washington to establish its substantial lead. Jay Beagle recorded the game-winner with his first goal of the season in the third period after Troy Brouwer (one goal) and Eric Fehr (two goals) kicked things off.
The Capitals started strong with plenty of offensive zone time and on the second shift of the game Ovechkin drew a hooking penalty against Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. With plenty of rapid puck movement, Washington’s power play found the space it needed.
From the half wall Nicklas Backstrom sent the puck below the goal line Mathieu Perreault, who in turn sent the puck to the slot where Brouwer fired a one-timer for his team-high seventh goal of the season. The tally, which resulted in a 1-0 lead 2:40 into the first, marked the sixth consecutive game that the Capitals have recorded a power-play goal.
Washington’s early control of the game continued onward as the Lightning struggled to even cross the offensive blue line and the visitors held an initial 7-0 lead in shots on goal.
Tampa Bay got the break it needed with a 3-on-2 rush up ice. Vincent Lecavalier’s shot went wide but the rebound bounced out directly to St. Louis on the right side of the net where he had time for multiple stuff attempts before he finally beat Holtby to make it 1-1 at 8:23.
Tampa Bay, searching for its first win since Feb. 1, continued to push and the game grew a little chippy as the Capitals’ first and fourth lines ramped up their physical play and interaction between the whistles.
Holtby made a flashy glove save on Teddy Purcell late in the first and Washington would need him to be just as on-point in the second. Early in the period, Holtby had to make another key stop on Hedman through traffic. The goaltender also received a little luck, when St. Louis whiffed on the short rebound that popped out.
The Capitals’ third line of Fehr, Perreault and Joel Ward cashed in once more marking the fifth time that they’ve been on the ice for a goal in the three games together as a unit. Ward hustled to beat a flat-footed Matt Carle to the puck behind the Lightning net, threw it in front where it deflected off Perreault’s skate and over to Fehr on the right side of the net.
Fehr roofed it for a 2-1 edge at 5:09 of the second period. It was his second goal in as many games, marking the first time Fehr has scored goals in consecutive contests since October 2010.
After taking the lead again, though, the Capitals spent a precarious amount of time in their zone, enduring odd-man rushes and frenzied traffic in the crease. Among the key stops Holtby made was a sliding pad stop on Steven Stamkos as the Tampa Bay center cut through the zone less than eight minutes into the period and then a kick save on Cory Conacher with less than three minutes left in the frame.
With 2:22 elapsed in the third, Fehr added his second goal of the night for a little insurance and a 3-1 lead for the Capitals. Fehr raced down the right wing and teed up a slapshot that blazed past Garon for his first two-goal game since March 9, 2011 during his first stint with the Capitals.
Washington added a cushion it would need 7:29 into the third when the fourth line crashed the net. With Garon sprawled in the crease, Beagle fished out the loose puck and swatted it into the wide open cage as he himself fell to the ice to make it 4-1.
In the latter half of the third, Tampa Bay found its desperation offense. Teddy Purcell scored on a bad-angle shot to cut the Capitals lead to 4-2 and less than five minutes later a turnover by Ward led to a breakaway for Nate Thompson. Holtby came out to challenge and try for a poke check but Thompson avoided it for an easy goal that made it 4-3 with 3:13 remaining in regulation.
