The Dallas Stars had a good weekend of hockey by sweeping their back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday night. The team looks like itself and is ready to put its win streak on the line tonight against the Washington Capitals. This could end up being Alex Ovechkin's last game in Dallas, so please show him some respect tonight. He deserves some respect for being able to break Wayne Gretzky's record last season. So many people thought he wouldn't break the record, and he proved them all wrong.
The Dallas Stars will be without Roope Hintz and Matt Duchene tonight. That means Kyle Capobianco will be in the lineup. It seems like the Stars might go 11-7 to try and slow down the Capitals' offense. It's a risky move because it means one less scoring forward will be in the lineup tonight, but the Stars have won games using the 11-7 format before. Here are the four keys to tonight's game in what could be Ovechkin's final game at the American Airlines Center.
Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals Preview: 4. Shut down the left circle
For maybe the final time, the Stars need to shut down the left circle in the Stars' zone tonight. That's where Alex Ovechkin is the most dangerous when it comes to scoring goals. While I don't want the Stars to be double-teaming him, I want someone skating around that area ready to block a point-blank shot. They can't let him be wide open, or Jake Oettinger won't be a happy otter tonight. The Capitals' offense can stall if Ovechkin is not being fed the puck in the left circle.
Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals Preview: 3. Devils' advocate
With the Stars going 11-7 more than likely tonight, Glenn Gulutzan needs to be wise on who is getting more minutes with one forward out. I would love to see Mikko Rantanen get those minutes, but his recent trips to the penalty box have me worried about giving him extra time. I want to see Jason Robertson or Wyatt Johnston get those since they have been on a tear to start the season. Let's see if either of those players can take advantage of the opportunity tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals Preview: 2. Don't get injured by Tom Wilson
We are going to skip the player the Stars need to watch out for and worry about Tom Wilson tonight. He's already dished out some big hits this season, and players have skated off the ice wondering what year they are in. The Stars can't afford to lose any more players to concussions tonight. I want to see the Stars look around and make sure Wilson isn't in the rearview mirror tonight. If the Stars come out of this game without any injuries, that's a W in my book.
Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals Preview: 1. Crowd the front of the net
One thing I want to see the Stars do tonight is crowd the front of the net and fire point-blank shots on their goaltender. I was okay with the Oskar Back re-direction goal in the last game, but the Stars need to get a tad closer. The Stars can't give the Capitals time to find the puck and clear it out of the zone. They have to be quick, find the puck, and put it in the back of the net. The Stars can easily keep their win streak alive if they park themselves in front of the net and put home rebounds.