The raucous call of “St. Louis! St. Louis! St. Louis!” made by Tampa Bay Lightning radio announcer, Dave Mishkin, continues to ring in the ears of many Washington Capitals fans.
It was Easter Sunday 2003 and after three overtime periods Martin St. Louis had scored the game-winning goal, ending the Caps’ playoff hopes in the first round.
It would be five more years before the Caps would make it back to the playoffs.
The Lightning, on the other hand, would win the Stanley Cup in 2004.
The rosters of both teams have been revamped since that time. Of the players scoring points that afternoon six plus years ago, only St. Louis and teammate Vincent Lecavalier remain on either team.
Since that game in 2003, both teams have endured some ups and downs. The down times allowed the teams some high draft picks, which have resulted in building the teams they have today.
The Capitals used first round picks to select Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green in 2004, as well as Nicklas Backstrom and Semyon Varlamov in 2005. The Lightning were able to select Steven Stamkos with their first round pick in 2008.
The teams also have different coaches since that game. The Capitals’ Bruce Boudreau is in his fourth year behind the bench, while Tampa Bay’s Guy Boucher is in his first year.
The largest change for Tampa Bay may be in the front office.
Former Detroit Red Wing superstar Steve Yzerman was given a list of titles this offseason, including General Manager, Vice President and Alternate Governor.
There is no doubt that the games between these two teams mean something once again. The Capitals sit in first place in the Southeast Division with 32 points, four points in front of the second-place Lightning.
In addition to the teams being close in the standings, they boast some of the top scorers in the NHL.
Five of the top eight scorers in the league were on the ice for the game between the two teams on Friday November 26 (Stamkos, Ovechkin, Semin, St. Louis and Backstrom).
When all was said and done on Friday evening, the Capitals left Washington’s Verizon Center with a 6-0 victory.
The loss put the Lightning’s record at 2-16-1 against the Capitals in their last 19 games. The Caps also ended the Lightning’s five game winning streak.
Washington’s high scoring trio of Ovechkin, Semin and Backstrom dominated the score sheet in Capitals rout. Semin scored a natural hat trick in the second period. For their part Ovechkin and Backstrom added two assists each.
With these two teams featuring some of the best young players in the NHL, they could develop a rivalry on par with that which Capitals share with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Reese Witherspoon Rhona Mitra Rihanna Robin Tunney Rosario Dawson
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