TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Rasmus Sandin snapped a tie with 4:59 left in the third period, and the Washington Capitals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 for their third consecutive win on Thursday night.
Connor McMichael had two goals for the Capitals, including an empty-netter. Anthony Mantha and Nicolas Aube-Kubel also scored, and Tom Wilson had two assists.
Washington's T.J. Oshie left with a non-contact injury in the third. The right wing went down to the ice after making a move near the offensive blue line. He crawled along the boards to the bench and needed assistance back to the locker room.
Tampa Bay was coming off a pair of alarming losses to defending Eastern Conference champion Florida (9-2) and Ottawa (4-2), which is last in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning dropped one point behind Detroit for the first Eastern Conference wild card.
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Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 shots for Tampa Bay. Brandon Hagel, Nicholas Paul and Tyler Motte scored.
Hagel extended his point streak to 11 games, which is the longest active stretch in the NHL.
Charlie Lindgren made 29 saves for Washington.
Washington's Alex Ovechkin had a nine-game point streak end. He was bidding to become the 12th player to record a double-digit run at age 38 or older.
Tampa Bay tied it at 3 when Paul and Motte scored 24 seconds apart early in the third. A potential go-ahead goal by Washington's Dylan Strome less than 90 seconds later was disallowed for offsides after a video review.
Aube-Kubel, who was scratched the previous two games, and McMichael had first-period goals.
McMichael's third goal in the last two games came after Wilson's hard check on Tampa Bay's Haydn Fleury into the boards behind the net. Fleury went to the locker room after the hit and did not return.
After Hagel scored midway through the second, Mantha made it 3-1 during a 3-on-1 rush just 2:58 later.
Nikita Kucherov, the NHL points leader, picked up an assist on Hagel's goal for his 95th point.
UP NEXT
Capitals: Ovechkin is set to become 41st player to play in 1,400 games Saturday night at Florida.
Lightning: Play at the New York Islanders on Saturday.
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