BEST BET: Count On Plenty Of Offense In Eastern Conference Showdown In Nation's Capital, As Capitals Host Lightning In Matinee Clash

LAS VEGAS -- It's Stadium Series day in the NHL, but I'm dropping the puck earlier with a Best Bet in one of the first games on the card, as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals meet in D.C. for a critical Eastern Conference clash.

The Capitals continue to lead the Metropolitan Division while sitting atop the conference with 84 points, while the Lightning are in third place in the Atlantic Division, three points shy of second-place Florida and four points back of first-place Toronto.

These teams have split the first two meetings - both in Tampa - with the Bolts winning 3-0 on Oct. 26 and the Caps taking the second battle 5-4 on Nov. 27.

Washington has won three of the last four meetings, but the Lightning have taken four of the last seven. It's always an entertaining battle, and with plenty to play for now that we've hit the first of the month, it's the total I'm most intrigued by for today's Best Bet.

Let's do a deep dive into this one:

WHY TAMPA BAY: Can we talk about what this team did in February? The Lightning didn't lose any games in regulation the entire month, something they hadn't done since 2018. They head into March after ranking No. 1 for February with 15 points (7-0-1) and ranking tied for third with 4.13 goals-for-per-game. They were the only team in the NHL to allow less two goals per game in February. This is a very dangerous team right now, and will be fired up for its visit to the nation's capital.

WHY WASHINGTON: Just 12 goals to go, as Alex Ovechkin is knocking on Wayne Gretzky's door. And there's no doubt that his inspired play this season has sparked a team that many thought would sneak in as a third-place entry or a wild card. But here are the Capitals challenging for the President's Trophy. Washington is on a 9-4-2 run against the Lightning and has earned at least one point in 23 of its last 24 home games (18-1-5) against them, including an active eight-game point streak (5-0-3).

All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.

THE PICK: OVER 6 -120 -- I understand how well Andrei Vasilevskiy is playing for the Bolts, but I'd like to point out that he is 10-11-1 in 22 appearances against the Caps, to go along with a 3.21 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. He's going to have his hands full with one of the best offenses in hockey, not to mention a team that suffered defeat to St. Louis on Thursday, just the third time overall that Washington lost consecutive regulation contests. Not sure who will be in net for the Capitals, as it should be Logan Thompson after Charlie Lindgren was torched for four goals in Thursday's loss to the Blues. Thompson, who has allowed 18 goals in his last five starts, has never faced the high-powered Lightning during his career. Look for a high-scoring game today.

(Season Record: 17-27-1, Net: -1220$, based on 100$ units)