#CapsStars Postgame Notebook: Two The Hard Way

The Caps didn't keep the torrid Dallas power play off the board, and they weren't very disciplined, taking four minor penalties in the game's first 30 minutes. They also weren't able to effectively neutralize the Stars' top forward trio of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov, as all three of those skaters found the back of the net.

But the Caps played a good five-on-five game, they scored a power play goal of their own, and they got a timely tally from John Carlson with five minutes left. All of that was just enough for the Caps to forge a 4-3 win over the Stars on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena.

Washington never led for long, and it never led by more than a goal. But they led when it mattered, at the 60-minute mark.

"These are big points now," says Carlson. "Everyone can see how tight the race is, and everyone is jockeying for position. You've got to collect them when you can, and I think we had a good game tonight. That's the most positive."

Tuesday's game was also a strong bounceback performance for the Caps, who were lackluster in a 6-3 loss to the Flyers in Philadelphia on Sunday. The victory over Dallas is the Caps' fifth win in their last six games.

"They're all pretty effective players, hard guys to play against obviously, and a big part of their team," says Caps goalie Braden Holtby of the Stars' top stars. "But I think we played right in the right areas, earned our goals. They're a good team over there, and I thought it was a good game."

Four-On-Four Score - Since the start of the 2016-17 season, the Capitals have scored a total of just two goals at four-on-four in their last 155 games. Only New Jersey (one) has fewer four-on-four goals over the same span.

The second of those two four-on-four goals was Carlson's game-winner from Tuesday night.

"At four-on-four, there is a little more space," notes Carlson. "I think when you have the skill and the talent that we do, that little bit of space can turn into more chances. I think anytime it tends to be four-on-four or three-on-three, the level of lockdown defense goes down a lot. It's more of a feel it out type of game, and then when you get that chance to strike, you do."

With Carlson's goal, the Caps have now scored two and have surrendered eight goals in four-on-four play in the last two seasons. That's a fairly stark contrast to their first two seasons with Barry Trotz at the helm, when Washington scored 17 goals at four-on-four - the second most in the league over that span. The Caps surrendered only five goals at four-on-four in 2014-15 and '15-16 combined; only three teams in the circuit permitted fewer goals at four-on-four during the same stretch.

Sixty Blue -Carlson becomes the eighth Washington defenseman to record as many as 60 points in a season; those eight blueliners have combined for 15 seasons with 60 or more points, led by four from Hockey Hall of Famer Scott Stevens. Carlson is the first Caps defenseman to reach 60 since Mike Green recorded 76 points (19 goals, 57 assists) in 2009-10.

Carlson is also the first Caps defenseman to notch as many as 15 goals since Green netted 19 in 2009-10. Carlson is the 10th different Washington defenseman to score 15 or more goals in a season, and those 10 rearguards have combined for two dozen such seasons, paced by six from Sergei Gonchar.

Blueliner Bonanza - Heading into Tuesday night's game, Carlson and Dallas defenseman John Klingberg were tied for the soring lead among NHL defensemen with 59 points.

At night's end, the two dynamic defensemen were still tied, but with 61 points. Carlson added a primary assist on Alex Ovechkin's power-play goal, and Klingberg had a pair of helpers for the Stars.

Carlson's goal was his 15th of the season, tied for second most among all NHL defensemen. Only Calgary's Dougie Hamilton (16) has more.

Biting The Hand - Caps defenseman Matt Niskanen netted his sixth goal of the season on Tuesday against Dallas. The Minnesota native is a former first-round draft choice of the Stars. Dallas spent the No. 28 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft on Niskanen, and he spent three-plus seasons with the Stars before they traded him to Pittsburgh on Feb. 21, 2011.

Tuesday night marked the 12th game Niskanen played against Dallas, and the first time he scored against his former team. His total of six goals is his highest in his four seasons with the Capitals and the third highest single-season total of his NHL career. Niskanen scored seven times as a rookie with the Stars in 2007-08 and he registered a career high 10 goals with Pittsburgh in 2013-14.

The Great Eight - Ovechkin netted his 44th goal of the season on a Washington power play in the second period, regaining sole possession of the top spot in the league's goal scoring chase, one ahead of Winnipeg's Patrik Laine.

The goal was No. 602 of Ovechkin's NHL career, moving him ahead of Hockey Hall of Famer Jari Kurri for sole possession of 19th place on the league's all-time goal scoring list.

Ovechkin assisted on T.J. Oshie's first-period goal and on Carlson's game-winner, giving the Caps' captain three points on the night. Tuesday was the 100th regular season game in which Ovechkin recorded three or more points.

Doubling Down On Dallas - Coupled with the Caps' 4-3 overtime win over the Stars in Dallas on Dec. 19 of this season, Washington has now earned two victories over the Stars in the same season for the first time in more than two decades, since the 1995-96 season.

The Caps' win on Tuesday ended a six-game home losing streak (0-5-1) against Dallas in the District. Since they moved from Landover, Md. to their downtown D.C. digs in 1997, the Caps are now 3-7-2 against the Stars in Washington.

Star Struck - Tuesday's loss sent the Stars home winless from their six-game road trip (0-4-2), and Dallas has but one victory in its last 10 road games (1-7-2). They limp back to Texas in ninth place in the Western Conference, two points behind Anaheim for the second wild card playoff berth in the west.

"The road trip form hell is over and we go home," says Seguin. "There is nothing you can really do now. We've got to go home, we've got to get points. We're playing some good teams, but we've got to find a way here."

By The Numbers - Niskanen led the Caps with 25:29 in ice time … Ovechkin and Tom Wilson led the Caps with six shots on net each … Wilson led Washington with nine hits … Wilson and Carlson led the Caps with three blocked shots each … Jay Beagle won 13 of 17 draws (76%) … Washington won its sixth straight game at Capital One Arena, sweeping six straight one-game "homestands" … The Caps' total of 26 wins at home is tied for the league lead.