Burakovsky's Bookend Goals Give Caps Back-To-Back Wins In Dallas

It's been nearly a quarter of a century since the Minnesota North Stars packed up and moved south to Dallas, losing the front end of their nickname and becoming known as the Stars in the process. Since that move in 1993, the Capitals have had a great deal of difficulty in Dallas.

Coming into Tuesday's game, the Caps owned a 4-13-0 record in their previous 17 visits to Big D. Only one of those four wins was achieved in regulation, and that triumph came on Oct. 17, 1995 in the Caps' second ever trip to Dallas.

Thanks to a couple of goals - including the game-winner in overtime - from Andre Burakovsky, the Caps have now authored consecutive victories in this city for the first time ever. Burakovsky added an impressive primary assist on Brett Connolly's tying goal with 3:26 left, and the Caps started their three-game western road trip off with two points, extending their winning streak to four straight games with a 4-3 overtime win in Texas.

"I thought we played pretty well tonight and deserved to win, or at least get a point, says Connolly. "It's good to come back and get a good comeback win here on the road."

Indeed, it is. For those in attendance, it was a thriller to watch, too. There were skirmishes aplenty, a highlight reel goal from Dmitry Orlov, and plenty of to and fro and near misses along the way.

The game pitted the Caps' Braden Holtby and the Stars' Ben Bishop, a pair of estimable goaltenders who've inexplicably struggled against their Tuesday opponents, to the tune of two combined wins - both of them Bishop's - in 15 combined appearances. Both were good, but Holtby made more saves when they mattered, and the Caps managed to eke out a goal (Orlov's) in the second, when they didn't have much going on offensively at all.

The victory was Washington's second straight comeback win from a third-period deficit, and it starts the Capitals' three-game road trip out on a winning note, sending them on to Arizona with a couple off points as they enjoy an off day in the desert on Wednesday.

"It means a lot for confidence, too," says Burakovsky. "We played a really good game, we stuck with our plan the whole time. Even when we were down one at the end there, we came back and then in overtime we were controlling the puck most of the time. Holts made a really good save there to keep us in the game, but this is really good for our confidence. It's fun to be on the road again and to be with the guys."

First And Twenty - Holtby turned in another strong performance on Tuesday, claiming his first-ever win over Dallas and his 20th of the season. He made a couple of strong stops on Stars captain Jamie Benn - including one less than a minute before Burakovsky's game-winner - and another on Radulov in the first minute of the second period.

"Obviously it was a gutsy win on our part," says Holtby. "It feels nice to win in this building finally, against that team. They're a good team; they create a lot of chances and stuff."

Aiming to become the first goaltender in league history to string together four straight seasons with 40 or more victories, Holtby is now halfway there, and just ahead of the halfway mark of the season. He notches win No. 20 in his 27th game of 2017-18, and in Washington's 35th game.

It's Holtby's second fastest sprint to the 20-win mark during his four-season run, and it's the first time during that span that he earned his 20th on the road.

In 2014-15, Holtby finished with 41 wins. He nailed down his 20th win on Jan. 10 of that season, defeating the Red Wings in Washington in his 36th game and the Capitals' 41st game.

In 2015-16, Holtby won 48 games to match Martin Brodeur's all-time single-season NHL record. His 20th win came on Dec. 16 over the Senators in the District, in Holtby's 25th game and the team's 30th game of the season.

Last season, Holtby picked up his 20th win on Jan. 11 over the Penguins in his 33rd game and in the Caps' 41st game. He finished the season with a league-leading total of 42 victories.

Two For 65 -Burakovsky's two-goal game is the fourth of his career during the regular season. He has now notched exactly one two-goal game in each of his four NHL seasons. It's worth noting that he also has authored two such games in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Burakovsky's three-point game matches his single-game high, previously achieved on three occasions.

Dmitry's Dazzler -Orlov's goal is one you'll see over and over again for quite some time to come, a true highlight reel tally. Taking a feed from Nicklas Backstrom near his own blueline, Orlov found some running room through neutral ice, and used it to generate some speed into the Dallas zone.

Going up against Stars defender John Klingberg in a one-on-one situation, Orlov seamlessly wove the puck between his own skates in order to skirt Klingberg and put himself in another one-on-one situation with Bishop. From just above the top of the paint, Orlov lifted a wrister that went bar down behind Bishop, tying the game at 2-2.

"I was like everybody else," says Caps coach Barry Trotz when asked for his reaction to Orlov's goal, "Holy you know what. That one we will play again. That one had the 'wow' factor. I thought Orly played exceptionally well the whole game, and then that goal, you'll see a few times in the next couple of years."

A Stand-Up Guy - Caps winger T.J. Oshie returned to action on Tuesday night after a six-game absence resulting from a hit to Oshie's head in a Dec. 4 game against San Jose. When Dallas' Antoine Roussel issued a mild but very late (following an offside whistle) hit on Oshie, linemate Jakub Vrana went right at the Dallas tough guy, who has 48 career regular season fights under his belt.

Vrana ended up with only a roughing minor and Roussel a double-minor for the same offense, but the gesture went a long way with Trotz and the guys in the Washington room.

"Jakub is not a fighter," says Trotz. "And that says a lot. He got a lot of respect [from] your teammates when a non-fighter goes up and protects one of your teammates, and especially against a guy that is pretty good with his fists.

"I think Jake - that was probably one of his few [fights] that he has had - but he earned a lot of respect. There is nothing you can say that has more impact than what Jake did. That's a really good response by a young player."

Extra Hockey - Washington is now 6-0-1 in games that require more than 60 minutes this season. The Caps' lone loss beyond 60 minutes came in the third game of the season, on Oct. 9 against the Lightning in Tampa Bay. The Capitals have won five straight games in overtime or the shootout since.

By The Numbers - John Carlson led the Caps with 27:07 in ice time and four blocked shots … Alex Ovechkin led the Caps with four shots on net and eight shot attempts … Brooks Orpik led Washington with four hits … Jay Beagle won 11 of 17 face-offs (65%) … Despite spending eight minutes in the penalty box on two minors and a double minor, Tom Wilson still logged 14:25 in ice time, which is only a minute south of his nightly average of 15:27 going into Tuesday's contest.