In a dominant performance, the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to eight games, defeating the Washington Capitals 3-1, with Andrei Vasilevskiy turning aside 20 of 21 shots. Mitchell Chaffee and Gage Goncalves both found the net, while Brandon Hagel secured the win with an empty-net goal. Alex Ovechkin scored his 884th career goal for the Capitals, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a lackluster offensive display.

Despite the loss, Washington still holds a lead in the Eastern Conference but has fallen into a three-game skid. Tampa's defensive strategy and Vasilevskiy’s capable goaltending could bode well for their playoff prospects, especially with Nikita Kucherov extending his point streak to 10 games.