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Around the rink - March 7; Caps and Lightning face off in Southeast showdown

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All times Eastern

7:00 p.m.

Washington @ Tampa Bay

Spice in the Southeast Division just got a little stronger now that Tampa has cooled off and the Caps keep finding ways to win. Washington now leads the division by one point and the Lightning would like to get that top spot back right away. Luckily for Tampa Bay, they’ve still got Dwayne Roloson in goal and the combination of Roloson and Tampa Bay against the Caps has been a great one this year with Roloson earning two shutouts against the Caps this year as a member of the Lightning. Tampa’s lost three in a row while the Caps have won four straight now. If there was a time to take advantage of the Caps though, this would be it as Washington is coming off an overtime win over the Panthers.

9:00 p.m.

Columbus @ St. Louis

A pair of Central Division teams going in the wrong direction here as the Jackets and Blues have both lost four straight games. These two open up a home-and-home series and something’s got to give and for St. Louis. The Blues are hoping that Jaroslav Halak might be back to help give them a lift and win a game. Columbus, meanwhile, continues to do their hot and cold routine which helps make sure the fans don’t get too excited about their decreasing chances to make the playoffs.

10:30 p.m.

Dallas @ Los Angeles

These Pacific Division rivals have plenty to hammer out in this latest matchup. The Stars are just one point ahead of L.A. in seventh place and they’d like to keep the good times rolling as they’ve won four of their last five games. The Kings are winners of four of their last six games themselves but find themselves teetering on the brink of the playoffs despite their recent success. If L.A. wants to stay strong, putting one over on Dallas and moving them closer to the danger zone at the edge of the west playoff race would be a good way to do it. One thing both teams would like to avoid here? A three-point game. Going to overtime in these sorts of games against rivals for playoff spots is painful because you can’t put any distance on your foes.