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Red-hot Lightning host Caps in Southeast showdown

Feb 4, 2011 - 4:16 PM (Sports Network) - Dwayne Roloson has been a difference maker since joining the Lightning a month ago. Nobody knows that better than the Capitals.

First-place Tampa Bay will try to pad its lead over Washington this evening with a seventh straight victory, a win streak that includes back-to-back shutouts by Roloson, in this big Southeast Division clash at St. Pete Times Forum.

After opening the season with Dan Ellis and Mike Smith in net, Roloson has brought stability to the position after being acquired from the Islanders on Jan. 1. The 41-year-old is 8-3-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and four shutouts with the Lightning, including a pair of whitewashes over the Capitals.

Roloson blanked Washington with 34 saves in his Tampa Bay debut on Jan. 4 and then shut out the Caps eight days later with 23 stops in a 3-0 victory. The win was just Tampa Bay's fourth in its last 21 versus Washington and second in the past 10 at St. Pete Times Forum.

Roloson's last two shutouts have come versus the Maple Leafs and Flyers, respectively. He turned aside 26 shots against Toronto on Jan. 25, then made 38 saves in Tuesday's 4-0 victory.

"He's been awesome so far. He's such a veteran back there, so composed," forward Teddy Purcell said about Roloson. "He serves as an extra boost of confidence for us."

Purcell made Roloson's night a little easier by scoring twice in the game's first 1:21, with his first coming just 19 seconds into the contest, while Steven Stamkos added his NHL-leading 39th goal and 68th point in the game.

Stamkos has eight goals and three assists in his last eight games, while Purcell has three tallies and four helpers in his last three.

Tampa Bay's six-game win streak is its longest since winning eight in a row from Feb. 23-March 6, 2004 and includes victories in the first three contests of a club-record 12-game homestand. The Lightning have outscored their opponents 13-1 so far on the residency to push their lead over the Capitals for first place in the division to five points.

Tampa Bay has won seven of its last eight at home overall and will conclude its season series with Washington on March 7 at home. With just the one game left after tonight, the Capitals may be looking at this game as a must-win if they hope to win their fourth straight Southeast Division title.

"Reality is, it's a big game for both teams," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said after Thursday's practice. "If I'm them, I'm saying, 'Hey listen we can put this away.' If I'm us, I'm saying, 'We want to fight right to the end.' So, seven or three [points behind], that's what they call the big four-pointers."

Though Washington has lost three straight, it does have points in six of its last seven games (3-1-3). The Capitals dropped a shootout to the Canadiens, 3-2, on Tuesday.

Mathieu Perreault and Mike Knuble scored to give the Capitals a 2-0 edge in the first period before Montreal battled back. The Canadiens' Brian Gionta then scored the game's only shootout tally, while Nicklas Backstrom, Matt Hendricks and Alex Ovechkin came up empty on their chances.

"In the shootout, we had three great looks ... but we didn't get the puck in the spots where we wanted them," said Boudreau.

Semyon Varlamov stopped 36 shots for Washington, which has lost its last eight games that have gone past regulation and has been held to two goals or less in seven of its last nine games.

The offense could get a boost tonight if Alexander Semin can play for the first time in 11 games due to a groin injury. He was a game-time decision versus the Canadiens.

Varlamov is 4-2-1 with a 1.85 GAA in his career versus the Lightning.