The Tampa Bay Lightning dropped the first two games of the series at home, but came back strong with a 4-2 victory here at Capital One Arena Tuesday night. Perhaps the Lightning felt they deserved a night off after back-to-back wins at Tampa, but I don't see them giving up their home ice advantage with another loss tonight.

"We weren't playing as sharp as we normally can," Capitals coach Barry Trotz told nhl.com. "We weren't executing the way we normally did in the last couple of games. We were just off a little bit, and you can't be off in this game to have success. We will be better next game."

Washington's Nicklas Backstrom has missed the last four games with an injured hand, but the center has been skating with the team and participated in Wednesday's optional practice. Getting him back here would be a huge boost for the home team.

10* NHL Game of the Week: Washington Capitals.