Tampa, FL (My Sportsbook) - The last remaining unbeaten club in the National Hockey League, the Tampa Bay Lightning try to make it seven games without a loss tonight when they welcome the Washington Capitals to the St. Pete Times Forum.

Off to the best start in the franchise's miserable history, the Lightning are 4-0-2 through six games, but will face a team they haven't topped in nine consecutive meetings. Washington is 8-0-1 against Tampa since a 5-1 Lightning triumph at home on November 5, 2000. In all, the Caps are 13-1-1 in the last 15 games between the Southeast Division clubs.

Tampa Bay kept its current run alive with a 2-2 tie in Columbus on Wednesday night. The point was earned by virtue of Dave Andreychuk's power-play goal 12 seconds into the third period, which completed a two-goal comeback. Martin St. Louis had scored late in the first frame to make it 2-1.

Andreychuk's marker was the 247th power-play goal of his career, which leaves him two shy of Phil Esposito's NHL record of 249. The hard-nosed veteran is also only five tallies shy of 600 for his career.

As a team the Lightning have converted at least one power play in seven consecutive games, dating back to last season. That is the third-longest streak in club history, trailing the record set last winter by two games. From February 26-March 17 the Bolts bagged a power-play score in nine straight contests.

Tampa Bay is proving it can score at even strength as well, as its 26-goal total is tied for first in the NHL with Philadelphia and Detroit. Last season the Lightning managed a meager 178 goals the entire season.

Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin made 24 saves in Wednesday's tie and has started all six games this season. The Bulin Wall has recorded a 2.57 goals-against average and .892 save-percentage.

Tampa Bay received some good news on Thursday when center Vincent Lecavalier was told he could play in this evening's contest. The former No. 1 pick, who has three goals and four assists in four games, was fitted for a knee brace and it is likely that he'll be in the lineup. He has missed two straight games since suffering a Grade 1 sprain of his right MCL last Saturday against Pittsburgh.

Three Lightning players -- Vaclav Prospal (3g, 6a), Dan Boyle (2g, 7a) and Brad Richards (1g, 5a) -- carry six-game points streaks into tonight's match, while St. Louis has registered a point in five straight games (6g, 4a).

John Tortorella's club, which concluded a three-game road trip Wednesday, heads back out onto the road after tonight. The Bolts begin a brief two-game venture Saturday in New Jersey.

Washington, meanwhile, plays the sixth installment of an eight-game trip tonight and hopes to win its second straight after snapping a two-game skid Wednesday in New York. Jaromir Jagr led the charge in the 2-1 victory with a goal and an assist, and Olaf Kolzig frustrated the Rangers with 31 saves. Steve Konowalchuk also tallied for the Caps, who allowed only a Matthew Barnaby goal 17:31 into the second period.

Washington will attempt to get its struggling offensive attack going this evening. Bruce Cassidy's crew has found the net only 14 times in six games -- the fifth-worst mark in the NHL. And half of those goals have been scored on the power play, as the Capitals are a league-best 7-for-27 with the man- advantage (25.9 percent).

The Caps continue their lengthy trek on Saturday against Florida, before wrapping things up on Monday in Pittsburgh.