The Dallas Stars travel up to the nations capitol for a quick turnaround game as they take on the Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals this afternoon. The Stars look to regain momentum following the loss at UBS Arena yesterday to get back into the playoff race as the regular season is about to enter its final month. Here is what the Stars need to do in the nations capitol to get two points on the road before returning home to the American Airlines Center.
Dallas Stars vs Washington Capitals Preview: 3. Guard both circles inside Washington’s zone
Usually I don’t talk about a specific zone to defend because players can score from anywhere in their offensive zone. Today is a different story as the Stars need to defend both red circles in front of Jake Oettinger. This is where Ovechkin has scored most of his goals in his career. If they can guard this area really well, they can take the threat of him scoring and help out Oettinger in a big way.
Dallas Stars vs Washington Capitals Preview: 2. Score at the beginning of the game
The Stars can’t wait till the end of the middle frame to get things going on offense like they did in New York the previous game. They have to attack the net starting after the opening puck drop. This Washington crowd can get pretty rowdy if the Capitals get out to a quick start. Stars best bet at winning the game is taking them out of the game early with goals in the 1st period.
Dallas Stars vs Washington Capitals Preview: 1. Keep up the defense
The defense has improved over the last couple of games. They have to keep it up so that way Oettinger doesn’t have to do all the work in front of the net. If the Stars can continue to check and get the puck out of their side of the ice, the Stars have a shot at 2 points in Washington.
You can check other NHL scores from around the league on FanSided.com at this link here.