An abysmal effort by the Dallas Stars leads to a 3-2 win by the Washington Capitals

I think Jake Oettinger was more relieved that he was on the bench tonight. Even though he signed a massive contract extension this morning, having the night off was the cherry on top. The Dallas Stars had an abysmal effort against the Washington Capitals tonight, which showed on the ice. Who leaves Tom Wilson, the leading scorer for the Capitals, out on an island to snipe a shot into the net? That is something that was probably covered during the scouting report.

At least Alex Ovechkin didn't score a goal tonight. The Stars lost 3-2, dropping them to a 4-1 record. After barely beating the Sharks, I was worried the same thing would happen tonight, and it did. Let's start off with the power play. How many games are we going to play before something changes with it?

Also, when will the Stars learn to run through their opponent regardless of the record? I could care less if the Capitals had a lousy record, make it worse than it was. I know they had a 1-1 record before the game started; it should have been 1-2 by the end of tonight's game. Let's review the three takeaways from tonight's loss against the Washington Capitals.

Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals Recap: 3. Power play woes

Let's start with the power play woes. How can a team with so much talent fail to take advantage of having an extra man on the ice? I have never seen such a bad power-play strategy before. The Stars are near the bottom of the NHL in power play percentage. How much lower does it have to go before a change to the power play strategy? The coaching staff needs to do something before it costs the Stars games. For a team that went to the Western Conference Finals two seasons in a row, it's unacceptable.

Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals Recap: 2. Defensive mishaps

Why did the Dallas Stars give Tom Wilson all the time in the world to shoot that puck past Casey DeSmith? The Stars should not give players enough time to get their shot off. The defensive mishaps must stop if they want to return to the playoffs. The Stars were not guarding their assignments all night long. From what I watched, they need to work on puck protection and ensuring their passes are crisp. If the Stars don't work on this, Edmonton will feast on Saturday afternoon.

Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals Recap: 1. Stop playing down to opponents

Lastly, the Stars must stop playing down to their opponents. Like in the last game against the San Jose Sharks, the Stars have all the talent to run through these teams efficiently. Now, give credit to the Washington Capitals tonight for being able to shut down the Stars' offense. However, with all the scoring talent the Stars have on their roster, the score should have been different. Hopefully, the Stars don't play down to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon.

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