(My Sportsbook) - The Washington Capitals will aim for a third straight victory tonight when they welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning for a Southeast Division battle at the Verizon Center.

The Capitals have posted back-to-back wins over Carolina and the New York Rangers to begin a three-game homestand that ends tonight. Washington has yet to suffer a regulation loss in the nation's capital this season, posting a 5-0-1 record in D.C.

Two days after notching a 3-2 decision over the Hurricanes on Thursday, the Caps defeated the Rangers by a 3-1 count. Brent Johnson made 28 stops to lead Washington over the Blueshirts.

Brooks Laich, Tom Poti and Alexander Semin scored for the Capitals, who have also won four of their last six contests.

Semin continues to pick up the scoring slack for his struggling teammate Alex Ovechkin. The former leads Washington in goals (11) and assists (10), while the latter has just eight points (2g, 6a). Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy last season after leading the NHL with 65 goals and 112 points.

The Lightning, meanwhile, halted a two-game losing streak with Saturday's win in Philadelphia and also picked up their fourth win in six games.

Vinny Prospal netted the game-winner against his former club in the second period and Mike Smith made 35 stops as Tampa Bay snuck by the Flyers, 2-1, at the Wachovia Center.

Prospal, a third-round pick by Philly in 1993, had two separate stints with the Flyers with the most recent coming after the Lightning sent him to the City of Brotherly Love at last year's trade deadline. The 33-year-old winger opted to sign with Tampa Bay after the Flyers were eliminated by Pittsburgh in last year's Eastern Conference finals.

Jussi Jokinen also lit the lamp for the Lightning, while Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis recorded assists on Prospal's game-winning tally.

The Lightning are 3-2-1 as the visiting club this year and are playing the fourth test of a five-game road trip tonight. Tampa will close the swing Wednesday with an intrastate battle against the Florida Panthers.

Tonight's matchup marks the first of six meetings between the Bolts and Caps. Washington has won five straight and seven of the last 10 encounters and Tampa has dropped two in a row and four of five in D.C.