Fansided

Dallas Stars Give Up Late Lead To Caps, Lose 4-3 in Overtime

By Josh Clark |
Jan 21, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Andre Burakovsky (65) celebrates a goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Andre Burakovsky (65) celebrates a goal against the Washington Capitals during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Stars had a 3-1 lead, but it quickly dissipated in the third period as the Washington Capitals tied the game up. The Stars eventually dropped in overtime.

Another chance to get back into the playoff race, another disappointing ending. The Stars lost 4-3 to the best team in the NHL in the overtime frame on Saturday night. Catch up on some final thoughts below.

Game recap

The Capitals took the early lead when Andre Burakovsky scored just a little over two minutes in. But the Dallas Stars immediately answered with a goal from Adam Cracknell.

The second period was all Stars. Goals from Patrick Eaves and Jamie Benn (on the power play) gave Dallas a commanding 3-1 lead against the best team in the NHL entering the third period.

The third period belonged to the Capitals as they received two power play goals from Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie to tie the game at 3-3. Neither team tallied anymore goals in the final frame and the game went to OT.

Then, as most overtimes go for the Dallas Stars, Jay Beagle scored 19 seconds in to secure the second point and beat the Stars 4-3.

More from Analysis

Thoughts and Observations

Bad blood? What bad blood?

The Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals have never been the best of friends, but they have never really been bitter enemies. Tonight, however, things got feisty early.

Both Brett Ritchie and Antoine Roussel dropped the mitts within three seconds of each other as they got into separate fights that involved plenty of blood and knuckle-chucking.

After the fights, Jordie Benn took a brutal check to the back from Brett Connolly that sent him into the glass. The penalty caused major scuffle in the corner between both teams. Just a few minutes later, Jamie Benn took a hi-stick to the face that resulted in a double minor penalty after the stick drew blood. In the third period, Antoine Roussel used a hi-stick and drew blood on Karl Alzner.

It was a very physical game between two teams who usually don’t get violent. Maybe it had to do with the Stars really needing the points and the Caps trying to protect their title of “best team in the NHL?”

Stars learned how to play desperate

The Stars entered tonight’s game with the deck stacked against them. Their last two losses were to two of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference and they were setting up to square off against the best team in the NHL.

But the Dallas Stars went toe-to-toe with the best team in the NHL and put up a strong fight. That’s because they learned how to play desperate. They were quick on the puck, concocted up multiple scoring chances, and did what they had to do to help out the team effort.

That energy did not go unnoticed. The Stars played an excellent game (besides two unnecessary penalties in the third period) and picked up a point against the surging Washington Capitals. Sure the one point doesn’t help them much in the playoff hunt, but at least they got one. That’s more than most of Washington’s recent opponents can say.

If the Stars can figure out how to mirror this style of play and use it in upcoming games, they will have a good chance at winning a majority of the upcoming games in this homestand.

Overtime pains

Back to the overtime misery. Just 19 seconds in and the Dallas Stars yet again fell short of getting a much-needed second point. They are now 19-20-9 on the year and are 2-9 in the overtime period.

One rush was all it took. The Caps blew past the defensive pairing of Esa Lindell and John Klingberg and were given a routine setup and scored on a center feed.

It was nice to get the one point, but the Stars needed the two points very badly and continue to suffer in the standings. Overtime continues to be one of the prime enemies.

Seguin, Benn updates

Some rather significant things happened to the Dallas Stars’ most significant players tonight.

Tyler Seguin tallied an assist on Jamie Benn’s power play goal and officially capped 400 career NHL points. Meanwhile, the Captain himself scored the 51st power play goal of his career and also scored a broken nose after getting hi-sticked in the second period.

But, as you probably guessed, he played the remainder of the game after getting patched up. What a champ.

Next: Stars Putting Playoff Dreams On Life Support

Looking ahead

Dallas is in desperate need of points right now and once again blew an opportunity at grabbing two. That’s a tough loss, especially after owning a 3-1 lead going into the final period. The playoff hopes aren’t getting any brighter, and only a solid win streak will reignite those hopes.

Their next chance at two points comes on Tuesday night against the surging Minnesota Wild. Oh joy.

Home / Analysis