Dallas is First Stop on Caps' Weeklong Road Trip
Washington heads out west for a three-game road trip this week, ahead of the NHL's three-day holiday break
Washington takes to the road this week, heading out west for a trio of tilts against Western Conference opponents leading up to this weekend's three-day holiday break. The Caps' first stop is in Dallas, where they will face the Stars on Tuesday night.
Prior to heading south to Texas, the Caps got some good news on the injury front. Right wing T.J. Oshie, sidelined since Dec. 4 with an upper body injury, participated in a full practice with his teammates on Monday morning at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Oshie missed the last six games because of that injury, and Washington posted a 5-1-0 mark in his absence.
Oshie spent Monday's practice skating on a line with Jakub Vrana and Evgeny Kuznetsov, the same spot he was in before he was injured on a questionable Joe Thornton hit in the Caps' 4-1 win over San Jose on Dec. 4.
"Sometimes when you get a guy like T.J. back," says Caps coach Barry Trotz, "If I were to put him back with Kuz, for instance, maybe that line is not as effective for a couple of games. You don't know. But T.J. is a real good player for us. He is a big part of what we do, and if he is healthy and ready to go, I have no problem putting him in the lineup. He has been a terrific player for us since he has been here."
If Oshie draws back into the Washington lineup before anyone else goes down, the Caps will be able to put their optimal, full-health lineup on the ice for just the second time this season. Winger Tom Wilson missed the first four games of the season because of an NHL suspension, and he made his 2017-18 season debut in the Capitals' fifth game of the campaign, back on Oct. 13 against the Devils in New Jersey.
That game against the Devils - a 5-2 Washington win - marked the first time this season that the Caps were able to ice their optimal lineup, but blueliner Matt Niskanen suffered an upper body injury in the first period of that game, and he was subsequently placed on long-term injured reserve, and he missed 13 games. Washington has been playing without one or multiple players every night since Niskanen went down more than two months ago, and they've still managed to win 16 of their last 22 games over that span, climbing to the top spot in the Metropolitan Division standings in the process.
The Caps played four games in six nights last week, winning the last three. They've followed each of their last three losses with strings of at least three victories, and in the wake of Saturday's 3-2 comeback win in overtime over the Anaheim Ducks, they'll carry a three-game winning streak with them as they embark upon their three-game trip this week.
"I think it's big for us," says Oshie. "I think we are finding ways to win, kind of like we did in the past. It only benefits you going forward. No two games are the same, and you're not going to win each game the exact same way. We have guys stepping up, and it just goes to show how good we thought we could be, and how good the guys have been who have come in to fill those holes that opened up.
"Look at what [Wilson] has done in the last couple of weeks, and [Vrana] too. [Chandler Stephenson] has been outstanding all year, I think. And Lars [Eller], the numbers aren't there, but I've been watching Lars on TV the last couple of weeks and he has been playing some good hockey. I think that's the most impressive thing for us right now. Those guys that we need to play big for us in supporting role are playing big for us."
While Washington will spend this week on the road, the Stars just returned from a four-game trip out east, and they will enjoy a three-game homestand this week ahead of the league's holiday break. Dallas had a successful trip, going 2-1-1, earning victories over both New York teams and taking losses in New Jersey and Philadelphia. The Stars concluded their journey on Saturday with a 2-1 overtime setback at the hands of the Flyers in Philadelphia.
Dallas won the Central Division with 109 points in 2015-16, and it won its first-round playoff series over Minnesota in the spring of 2016, too, the Stars' first playoff series win since 2008. But Dallas dipped all the way down to 79 points - a precipitous 30-point drop - last season, falling to 11th in the Western Conference and missing the playoffs altogether.
The Stars' power play started the season strong, going 16-for-51 (30.8%) in the team's first 17 games this season. Dallas scored at least one power-play goal in 13 of those 17 games, and it scored multiple extra-man tallies in two of those contests.
Things have not been as prosperous for the Stars with the extra man over the team's last 17 games, however. Dallas is an anemic 3-for-50 (6%) with the man advantage in its last 17 games, and it is 2-for-39 (5.1%) over the past 14 games.
Dallas is in the middle of the NHL pack thus far this season in goals for, goals against, power play and penalty killing. But the Stars' penalty killing outfit has been scuffling as of late. Dallas has surrendered at least one power-play goal against in six of its last seven games, and it faced no shorthanded situations in the seventh of those games. The Stars have been nicked for multiple power-play goals in three of those seven games, and they've killed off only 16 of 25 (64%) shorthanded situations over that span.
One area where the Stars excel is shot suppression, which is not much of a surprise for a Ken Hitchcock-coached team. Dallas allows an average of just 29.56 shots on net per night, the second best rate in the league. The Stars are just a shade behind Carolina (29.50) for the top spot in the league in that category.
