January 28 vs. Dallas Stars at American Airlines Arena

Time: 9:00 p.m.

TV: NBCSW

Radio: Capitals Radio 24/7, 106.7 FAN

Washington Capitals (23-12-9)

Dallas Stars (22-16-2)

Hard Luck Blues - Wednesday night's game against the San Jose Sharks was the rubber match of Washington's three-game homestand, and the Caps came out on the short end of a 4-1 decision, another game in which they weren't able to get enough rubber past the opposing netminder.

It was bad enough that the Caps' lingering offensive woes continued on Wednesday night against San Jose in a 4-1 loss. But as they continue to struggle in their quest to find the back of the net, they saw the Sharks get goals from guys who hadn't been heard from in quite some time.

Season Of The Shark - When the Sharks come to the District in January, expect the unexpected. When San Jose last visited Washington on Jan. 5, 2020, the Sharks seemed to have the game well in hand. Evander Kane notched a hat trick in the second period, and after a Logan Couture empty-netter gave the visitors a 4-2 lead with a minute remaining in regulation, it looked as though it was game over for the Caps.

January 26 vs. San Jose Sharks at Capital One Arena

Time: 7:00 p.m.

TV: NBCSW

Radio: Capitals Radio 24/7, 106.7 FAN

San Jose Sharks (21-19-2)

Washington Capitals (23-11-9)

All Of This And Nothing - There's an old saying in hockey, and it goes something like this: "If you get a lengthy 5-on-3 power play and you don't score, you usually don't win."

For the first time this season, the Caps drew a blank on Monday night. Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner stopped all 34 Washington shots to hand the Caps their first shutout setback of the season, 1-0 to the Golden Knights. The whitewash is Lehner's first of the season, and the second of his career against the Capitals.

Pale Blue Monday - The Caps face the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at Capital One Arena in the middle match of a three-game homestand. Washington is coming off an uplifting 3-2 overtime win over Ottawa on Saturday night, a game in which it rallied back from an 2-0 third-period deficit to win 3-2 in overtime.

January 24 vs. Vegas Golden Knights at Capital One Arena

Time: 7:00 p.m.

TV: NBCSW

Radio: Capitals Radio 24/7, 106.7 FAN

Vegas Golden Knights (24-15-2)

Washington Capitals (23-10-9)

Comeback Story - Scoring the game's first goal hasn't been much of a boon for the Capitals of late; they're just 1-4-1 in the last half dozen games in which they've scored first. On Saturday night at Capital One Arena, they flipped the script again, and again they came out on top in overtime.