Tampa Bay Lightning @ Washington Capitals - Friday, November 26

Will he, or won’t he? Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos is on course for 50 in 50. That’s 50 goals in 50 matches, and the last time it was achieved was back in the 1991-92 season, when Brett Hull of the St Louis Blues achieved the feat. The great legend that is Wayne Gretsky still boasts the best record of all in the race to score 50 goals, achieving the half century after just 39 games in 1981-2 with the Edmonton Oilers. That was the first of a hat trick of 50 in 50 consecutive seasons for Gretzky. So, the big NHL question now, is can Stamkos join the greats of Gretzky, Maurice Richard, Mike Bossy, Brett Hull and Mario Lemieux? Can he join the elite club? The young Tampa winger is currently sitting on 21 goals in 22 games played ahead of Friday’s trip to Washington. Last season, Stamkos had buried 26 goals in his first 50 matches, which isn’t bad running, but this time around he has bolted from the gate. He is the big buzz of the NHL at the moment, even overshadowing the progress that his team have made in closing the cap on the Washington Capitals in the Southeast Division. But now it is time for Stamkos and Ovechkin to meet again, with the former on a hot streak, and the latter looking for a bit of that Stamkos’s finishing magic to rub off on him.

In the crazy 8-7 win over the Flyers recently, Stamkos buried a hat trick to bring him on even keel at 19 in 19 games, and that was the point which really sparked talk of how high this kid can set the bar. There is not much talk about this going on in the Lightning dressing room apparently, but it is not something which is going to go away until Stamkos succeeds or fails. If he does succeed then there will continue to be a lot of grateful work done by line mate Martin St Louis, who continuously sets up Stamkos. With plenty of minutes on the power play unit as well, Stamkos is going to continue scoring. Facing a Capitals side which have given up a Power Play goal in each of their last eight matches, you fancy him to get on the score sheet tonight. Just watch him sit on the left wing waiting to unleash that fierce one-time wrister. You know it is coming, you can see the cycling to make it happen, and still the defences and goaltenders can do nothing about it. That one-timer Stamkos shot is lethal. Stamkos has the speed and he clearly has the talent. In Tampa’s victory over the New York Rangers in the week, Stamkos also showed his willingness to drive the net, sliding in for his goal, and doing the same thing back in his own end to try and prevent a Rangers goal. He’s much more of an important commodity than his goal tally. He is a team player, working hard, yet not putting himself into harm’s way too much, avoiding injury. Hockey intelligence.

The Lighting head to the Capitals tonight, setting up a thrilling Stamkos v Ovechkin showdown, part two of six this season. However, while Stamkos has ramped up his goal scoring pace, Ovechkin is off his. Alex the Great has half of the goals that Stamkos has at the moment, and the worrying fact for Caps fans, and for the team’s Stanley Cup hopes, is that he is shooting less than he has ever done before. To compound the recent three game skid the Capitals found themselves on, Ovechkin managed to upset his coach following a 5-0 blow-up against the New York Rangers. Ovechkin was seen joking with his fellow countryman Ilya Kovalchuk from the Rangers, after the heavy defeat. Was this really enough to upset the coach Bruce Boudreau? Why was this such a big monkey on the Head Coach’s back? Apparently the coaching staff wanted to see an angry Ovi, bitter in the face of defeat, determined to right wrongs like the superhero he is. They wanted to see him ready to go straight back into war, to show that he cares, instead of just yucking it up with a friend from an opposing team. Ovi’s team-mate Alexander Semin also briefly joined the joviality, but he is not under the same kind of microscope that the great number eight is under, and largely escaped the wrath of coach and media.

As of yet, Ovechkin has not really been at the races in the scoring, leaving Stamkos and the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby duelling in a memorable NHL points battle. With the Stamkos hype rolling into town, will that bring the best out of Ovechkin to kick start a chase to hunt both of them down? Truthfully, if he needs that spark of fight to play his best, then something is wrong. The Stamkos and Crosby battle will ensue nonetheless, but can Ovechkin show up Stamkos on the night at least? The Caps scored big at the Verizon Centre a couple of weeks ago, when they saw off the Lightning 6-3, with both Stamkos and Ovechkin posting one goal apiece in the third period. But this match is more than just about Stamkos v Ovechkin in a personal battle, it is a battle to also carry their respective teams forward. There is a division to be won still, and the Capitals aren’t quite having it all their own way this season. This is because of the Lightning, who are breathing down their necks, just four points back of the Caps. This is because Stamkos is lighting up the NHL with 38 points, and Ovechkin not so much on 29. Ovechkin did weigh in with three assists in the week (bringing his tally to 19 on the season), as the Caps finally found their winning form again, downing Carolina 3-2. The Lighting come in to the game on the back of a 5-3 win over the Rangers, their fifth straight victory in a row. Will there be some Capitals punishment dished out by Stamkos in his hunt for 50 in 50?

Washington Capitals (15-6-2)

Tampa Bay Lighting (13-7-2)