Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning
NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct 03, 2026. Final score: Washington Capitals 1, Tampa Bay Lightning 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Oct 03, 2026 |
| Venue | Benchmark International Arena |
| Washington Capitals score | 1 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 3 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jake Guentzel | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 18:18 | 0.46 | 1.62 |
| 2nd | Brandon Hagel | L | 0 | 2 | 6 | 22:07 | 1.10 | 1.57 |
| 3rd | Conor Geekie | C | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9:10 | 0.38 | 1.28 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Washington Capitals–Tampa Bay Lightning) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 02:26 | TBL | Charle-Edouard D'Astous | Brandon Hagel, Emil Lilleberg | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 16:30 | TBL | Conor Geekie | Brandon Hagel, Jake Guentzel | 5v5 | 0–2 |
| 2nd 07:04 | WSH | Justin Sourdif | Jakob Chychrun, Boone Jenner | 5v5 | 1–2 |
| 3rd 17:55 | TBL | Jake Guentzel | Nikita Kucherov, John Carlson | 5v6 | 1–3 |
Team Comparison
| Washington Capitals | Tampa Bay Lightning | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 1 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 21 | 30 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 4.62 | 4.12 |
| High-danger shots | 21 | 21 |
| Corsi % | 49.2% | 50.8% |
| Power play | 0/2 | 0/3 |
| Faceoff % | 37.5% | 62.5% |
| Hits | 24 | 30 |
| Blocks | 14 | 19 |
| Giveaways | 11 | 19 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 5 |
Washington Capitals Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakob Chychrun | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27:11 | 0.33 | 0.97 |
| Boone Jenner | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14:57 | 0.18 | 0.69 |
| Justin Sourdif | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12:24 | 0.13 | 0.53 |
| Anthony Beauvillier | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11:37 | 0.18 | 0.19 |
| Ryan Leonard | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14:10 | 0.40 | 0.04 |
| Alex Ovechkin | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:34 | 0.01 | -0.07 |
| Matt Roy | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:22 | 0.22 | -0.08 |
| Dylan Strome | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:02 | 1.50 | -0.09 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:53 | 1.08 | -0.11 |
| Jordan Kyrou | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:45 | 0.03 | -0.15 |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:34 | 0.04 | -0.18 |
| Ilya Protas | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:55 | 0.00 | -0.21 |
| Tom Wilson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17:49 | 0.39 | -0.30 |
| Cole Hutson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:03 | 0.07 | -0.33 |
| Aliaksei Protas | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:21 | 0.00 | -0.44 |
| Timothy Liljegren | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:11 | 0.05 | -0.49 |
| Vincent Desharnais | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15:25 | 0.01 | -0.57 |
| Martin Fehérváry | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:11 | 0.00 | -0.94 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Guentzel | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 18:18 | 0.46 | 1.62 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 22:07 | 1.10 | 1.57 |
| Conor Geekie | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9:10 | 0.38 | 1.28 |
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 22:46 | 0.32 | 1.19 |
| John Carlson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20:35 | 0.09 | 1.18 |
| Emil Lilleberg | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10:30 | 0.07 | 1.05 |
| Victor Hedman | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:34 | 0.08 | 0.79 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 20:34 | 0.12 | 0.76 |
| Ilya Mikheyev | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:57 | 0.40 | 0.63 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:23 | 0.11 | 0.62 |
| Charle-Edouard D'Astous | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13:47 | 0.10 | 0.62 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:27 | 0.15 | 0.60 |
| Jeffrey Viel | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7:34 | 0.08 | 0.57 |
| Pontus Holmberg | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:25 | 0.14 | 0.32 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:47 | 0.00 | 0.31 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:42 | 0.08 | 0.29 |
| Brayden Point | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20:32 | 0.43 | 0.25 |
| Ryan McDonagh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:52 | 0.00 | -0.22 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Lindgren | Washington Capitals | 27 | 29 | 93.1% | 1.31 | L |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 20 | 21 | 95.2% | 3.62 | W |
Analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Washington Capitals 3–1 on Oct 03, 2026.
Tampa Bay Lightning generated 4.12 expected goals to Washington Capitals's 4.62 — Washington Capitals owned the better of the chances but Tampa Bay Lightning took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Jake Guentzel led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.62 on 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots on goal.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 of 21, worth 3.62 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Washington Capitals vs Tampa Bay Lightning game?
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals 3–1 on Oct 03, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Washington Capitals 1.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Jake Guentzel led all skaters at 1.62, on 1G, 1A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Tampa Bay Lightning generated 4.12 expected goals and Washington Capitals generated 4.62, so Washington Capitals created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Washington Capitals put 21 shots on goal and Tampa Bay Lightning put 30. High-danger chances went 21 to 21.