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Lightning look to move up in Eastern Conference standings

Mar 31, 2007 - 4:01 PM Washington (26-38-14) at Tampa Bay (42-32-4) 7:30 pm EDT

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning will try to solidify their grip on sixth place in the Eastern Conference when they host the lowly Washington Capitals on Saturday.

Tampa Bay, which owns a one-point lead over the New York Rangers (39-29-9) and a two-point lead on eighth-place Montreal (40-32-6), registered an important 4-2 victory over Carolina (38-32-8) on Friday.

Defenseman Filip Kuba netted the game-winning goal in the third period and NHL goals leader Vincent Lecavalier added insurance with his 50th tally of the season.

Lecavalier, who has 103 points and is third in league scoring, has eight goals and five assists in seven games against the Capitals this season.

Washington has been out of the playoff race for a while and has lost five straight since its 7-1 triumph over Tampa Bay on March 18.

The Capitals' road losing streak reached eight games in a 3-2 loss at Florida on Friday. Alexander Semin had a goal and an assist while Alex Ovechkin had two assists for Washington.

Ovechkin, who has five points in his last four games, has four goals and five assists in seven games against the Lightning this season.