Tampa Bay is in the conference final for the third time in four seasons. It defeated the New York Rangers in 2015 and lost to the Penguins in 2016, each in seven games.
"There is an obvious excitement about being here again, but it's kind of a different excitement; it's more of a 'We're on a mission' excitement," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "It's a little different than it was three years ago with this same group. There is a confidence about them in the way we are playing, how we've arrived at where we are right now. A lot of that has to do because they have been there before.
"Now you get the chance to take a step back and what has worked for us before and what hasn't. If there was a panic button in 2015, there doesn't seem to be one in 2018."
Washington lost two of three games against Tampa Bay this season (1-1-1). Alex Ovechkin scored two goals in the three games, and Nicklas Backstrom led the Capitals with four points (one goal, three assists). Braden Holtby played one game, taking a 4-2 loss Feb. 20.
"We have to stay focused. We have to regroup quickly," Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov said. "It's going to be different hockey, different team and a different style of hockey. If we want to do something special, we have to play right away. [From] the first puck drop, we have to be focused, because if those guys get a couple goals, it's pretty hard to score on them back."
Nikita Kucherov (two goals, two assists) and Brayden Point (three goals, one assists) led the Lightning with four points each. Andrei Vasilevskiy played all three games with a 2.33 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.
Washington lost two previous series against Tampa Bay (2003 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in six games, 2011 Eastern Conference Semifinals in four games).