Point scores deciding goal as Lightning beat Caps
TAMPA, Fla. -- Down two goals late in the second period, the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied and cooled off Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, winning 4-3 in overtime on Monday night at Amalie Arena.
Brayden Point scored in the final seconds of a power play, redirecting a shot by Nikita Kucherov at 3:08 of overtime. Washington was called for having too many men on the ice, setting up a four-on-three power play for the Lightning.
Tampa Bay dominated the third period, scoring the tying goal and outshooting the Capitals 17-6.
Kucherov scored into the top right corner of the goal on an assist from Alex Killorn with 9:14 left in regulation to tie it at 3-3.
The Lightning had climbed back within a goal when newcomer Chris Kunitz scored his first goal since joining Tampa Bay, making it a 3-2 game with 1:51 remaining in the second period.
The Capitals came in hot, thanks to seven goals in the first two games from Alex Ovechkin, with assists on all seven from Evgeny Kuznetsov in wins against the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. Ovechkin didn't manage a point Monday, while Kuznetsov had a single assist.
Washington went with backup goalie Philipp Grubauer on Monday, while Tampa Bay gave starter Andrei Vasilevskiy his third start in four days to open the season. Grubauer made 36 saves, while Vasilevskiy stopped 23 shots.
The Capitals jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals in a span of 78 seconds late in the opening period. Nicklas Backstrom got his first goal of the season with 3:18 left, and Washington drew a power play just 21 seconds later on a slashing call.
Right winger T.J. Oshie followed with the first of his two power-play goals on the night, redirecting a long shot from defenseman John Carlson past Vasilevskiy for a 2-0 lead with 1:55 left in the first.
Tampa Bay answered in the second, with Alex Killorn getting his first goal of the season on an assist from Point with 14:32 left. That pulled the Lightning within 2-1, but a penalty for delay of game on a faceoff set up another power play and another Oshie goal, this one with 12:11 left in the middle period.
NOTES: The Lightning went with seven defensemen, with Slater Koekkoek making his season debut but playing sparingly. RW J.T. Brown, C Gabriel Dumont and D Andrej Sustr were healthy scratches for Tampa Bay. ... Washington played without three healthy scratches: D Christian Djoos and RW Tom Wilson, neither of whom has played this season, and C Tyler Graovac, scratched for the second time in three games.