Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 17th 2024
Preview and Prediction
After defeating one of the top teams in the NHL, the Washington Capitals will attempt to replicate their success against another formidable opponent.
On Thursday night, the Capitals will face off against the Dallas Stars, who are currently undefeated with a 5-0-0 record for the first time in 18 years.
In their previous game, Washington handed the Vegas Golden Knights their first loss of the season with a final score of 4-2. Captain Alex Ovechkin, who has reached a career milestone of 700 assists, contributed two assists while Tom Wilson scored his second goal of the season. This victory came after a disappointing 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils in their season opener.
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Logan Thompson, who made his debut for the Capitals after being traded from Vegas in June, expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "That's just a fantastic team win and there are many positives to take away from it."
Ovechkin, who has a career record of 12 goals and 21 points against Dallas, is eager to move on from his assist milestone and continue to contribute to the team's success.
However, the Capitals will face a tough challenge as they have struggled against Dallas in the past, with an 0-3-2 record and a 0-2-3 record at home since their last victory against the Stars in March 2018.
Dallas, on the other hand, is coming off a shootout victory against the San Jose Sharks, maintaining their undefeated record. Despite their strong start, the Stars are aware that there is still room for improvement, especially in their power play and turnovers.
Mason Marchment has been a key player for Dallas, recording two goals and three assists in the current season and maintaining the same numbers in five career games against Washington.
In goal, Jake Oettinger has been impressive for the Stars with a 3-0-0 record and a 1.63 goals-against average. He also has a strong record against the Capitals, with a 1.73 GAA and .950 save percentage in four career starts.
For the Capitals, backup goalie Casey DeSmith may get the chance to start after a shutout performance against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. However, it is also possible that Charlie Lindgren will return to the net after a solid performance against the Devils in the season opener.
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Overall, both teams have strong goaltending and will need to continue to improve in other areas to maintain their undefeated records. It will be an exciting matchup between two talented teams.
Dallas Stars vs. Washington Capitals
Tyler Seguin scored 43 seconds into overtime as the visiting Dallas Stars recorded their first win of the season by defeating the Washington Capitals 4-3 on Tuesday.
Alexander Radulov, who scored in the third period, skated up the left wing on an odd-man rush before sliding a feed that Seguin converted at the right post as Dallas improved to 8-1-0 in its last nine visits to Washington.
Roope Hintz scored his team-leading fourth goal, Nick Caamano netted his first career NHL tally and Ben Bishop made 29 saves for the Stars.
Washington's Nicklas Backstrom took advantage of Seguin losing his stick and cleaned up a loose puck in front of the net to forge a tie at 3 with 31 seconds remaining in the third period.
Evgeny Kuznetsov scored in his return from a season-opening three-game suspension, defenseman John Carlson also tallied and Braden Holtby turned aside 22 shots for the Capitals.
Radulov wristed a shot that sailed between the legs of defenseman Nick Jensen and Holtby to tie the score at 2 at 7:53 of the third period before Dallas seized its first lead of the contest just over four minutes later. Seguin neatly shoveled the puck to Caamano, who skated in from the left circle and backhanded the puck between the pads of Holtby.
Jonas Siegenthaler's centering feed from along the left-wing boards found Kuznetsov, who backhanded a shot over the glove of Bishop to open the scoring at 4:49 of the first period.
Kuznetsov returned to the ice after being suspended by the NHL for inappropriate conduct following a positive test for cocaine while playing for Russia at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia.
A Washington turnover led to the transition game for Dallas, as Hintz accepted a lead pass from defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and wristed a shot past Holtby at 1:59 of the second period.
Moments after Holtby denied Mattias Janmark with a sprawling stop on the doorstep, Washington secured a 2-1 lead after Carlson's sharp-angle shot from near the right-wing wall squirted under the left arm of Bishop and into the net. Carlson's goal with 4:05 left in the second period was his first of the season.