Dallas Stars Looking To Capitalize in Washington
The Dallas Stars have touched down in Washington D.C. looking to wrap up two games on the road with a perfect record with a win over the Capitals. After burying Buffalo on Tuesday, the Stars will be eager to extend their three game win streak and even further improve their 15-4-0 record.
The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest (FSSW) at 6 PM CT, and you can also catch it on 1310 AM/96.7 The Ticket.
Records and Scores
The Dallas Stars are rolling and have every right to feel confident. After a three-game homestand in which they recorded one loss, the Stars moved on to sack the Sabres to increase their best start in franchise history to 15-4-0.
The Stars remain at the top of the Western Conference and Central Division, also jostling for first place in the entire league, tied currently with the Rangers and the Habs.
Another first-place spot the Stars have taken over in the NHL is that of scoring. With 3.58 goals per game, they have the highest offensive output in the league, as well as the second best power play.
The Washington Capitals are off to a good start in the season, as well. With a 12-4-1 record and two fewer games played, the Caps are right behind the Stars at second place in the league (25 points).
With a 2.53 goal per game scoring percentage and a 85.4% effective penalty kill, the Caps are coming off a rather wobbly patch of wins and losses. They beat Detroit yesterday 2-1 in overtime, but fell to the Flames in overtime 3-2 last Friday.
Story Lines
Will History Repeat Itself?
The Stars and the Caps have a pretty great history of interaction. Well, if you’re a Stars fan. The Caps went 0-6 on their power play attempts against the Stars in the 14-15 season. They recorded no wins in their last season series against Dallas, and none again the season before that. The last time the Caps beat the Stars? October 25, 2008.
However, both teams have seen marked improvements from previous seasons. With the Stars looking hotter than ever and the Caps starting to hit their stride as well, will history repeat itself or will there be an upset in the natural order?
That Points Race Though
Alexander Ovechkin is the name that probably comes to mind when thinking about the Capitals point leader. However, it’s currently Evgeny Kuznetsov who’s been most productive, with 18 points for the season. Ovechkin sits in second place with 16 points.
Ovechkin does, however, lead the team in goals scored with 8. Nicklas Backstrom and Evgeny Kuznetsov both make a close second with 6 goals scored each.
While the Caps may trail the Stars collectively in the points race by only 5, the stars of the team themselves are shining more brightly than ever. In his sophomore season, defenseman John Klingberg has more than earned his 7 year contract extension and proved that he’s a guy we want to keep around, with 20 points recorded so far. And that’s only third place in points for the Stars.
Tyler Seguin leads the team with 27 points to Jamie Benn’s 26, and Benn leads in goals scored with 12 to Seguin’s 10.
Injury Report
The Stars could probably get used to having clean bills of health. With Patrick Eaves back in the lineup, Travis Moen cleared for play, and Curtis McKenzie reassigned to Texas, the Stars have no injuries to hold them back.
The Capitals are nearly full strength, with defenseman Brooks Orpik day to day with a lower body injury and will most likely be a game-time decision.
Projected Lines
More from Blackout Dallas
- Dallas Stars Traverse City Tournament: Who had great performances?
- Grushnikov and Stankoven lead Dallas Stars to 6-3 win over Columbus
- Dallas Stars prospects look to wrap up tournament with a win
- Burn the tapes: Dallas Stars prospects lose 5-1 to Toronto Maple Leafs
- Dallas Stars look to continue success today against the Maple Leafs
Dallas Stars
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Patrick Sharp
Mattias Janmark – Jason Spezza – Patrick Eaves
Antoine Roussel– Cody Eakin – Valeri Nichushkin
Colton Sceviour/ Travis Moen – Vernon Fiddler – Ales Hemsky
Alex Goligoski – John Klingberg
Patrik Nemeth – Jamie Oleksiak
Washington Capitals
Alex Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom – T.J. Oshie
Marcus Johanssen – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Andre Burakovsky
Jason Chimera – Jay Beagle – Justin Williams
Brooks Laich – Michael Latta – Tom Wilson
Dmitri Orlov – Taylor Chorney
Next: Dallas Stars Healing Up, Heading Out
Predictions
This match will be an exciting and potentially scary one! With offense and goaltending well matched, the Stars and Caps both with come out hot and will not waste time getting down to business. It’ll come down to a goaltender show, and the Stars will keep the Caps to a one-goal game with a 3-2 score.