Gameday: vs. Tampa Bay, May 1 - Round Two, Game Two

The Caps need big games from their stars to keep pace.

The Washington Capitals will welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to Verizon Center this evening for game two of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series.  The Lightning won game one 4-2, taking advantage of a lackluster second 35 minutes from the Caps to score three unanswered goals in the final 25 minutes of the game.  This game is obviously very critical to the series as the Caps try to salvage a home split; heading into games three and four in Tampa Bay down 2-0 would be a daunting task indeed.

Tampa coach and world renowned actor Guy Boucher will give the nod to Dwayne Roloson in goal for his team.  Roloson stopped 26 of 28 in game one, letting in a few early goals before settling in quite nicely down the stretch.  On the injury front, two players are questionable for the Bolts, as both winger Simon Gagne (head) and defenseman Pavel Kubina (back) suffered injuries in game one and are considered questionable.  It is not known who would replace them if they are not able to suit up.

It is expected that Michal Neuvirth will make his seventh consecutive playoff start in goal tonight.  Neuvirth stopped 20 of 23 shots in game one, playing very well in the early stages of the game like his teammates, but then slipped up a bit as the contest wore on.  Outside the crease, Mike Knuble and Dennis Wideman will be absent from the lineup again with their respective injuries.  Defenseman John Carlson is questionable with what is believed to be a leg injury; Sean Collins would get the call should he not be able to go.  Healthy scratches are likely to be DJ King, Tyler Sloan, Jay Beagle, and all of the Hershey Bears players called up earlier this week.

Puck drops for this one 70-8-ish.  Check back later today for updates from the morning skates.