Heika's Take: Stars come away with hard-earned win against surging Caps

WASHINGTON --The Stars had a nice day in Washington, D.C. on Sunday.
Goalie Braden Holtby was honored by the Washington Capitals fans in his first trip back to Capital One Arena since leaving in 2020.
Jake Oettinger came up with one of his best games of the season while playing on the second day of a back-to-back, stopping 36 shots.
And Roope Hintz broke a bit of a mini slump, scoring two goals on the power play.

The result was a 3-2 win over the Caps to conclude a 2-2-0 road trip and push Dallas closer to Vegas in the race for the second wild card playoff spot in the Western Conference.
And that might've been the nicest part of the entire experience.
"This was a big game for us," said forward Joe Pavelski, who had two assists. "Two and two on the road trip is better than 1-3, obviously. But every game is big right now."

The Stars (34-24-3) are in a tight race for a playoff spot and have been in a 1-4-0 slide. So going in against a hot Washington team (35-19-10) was a real challenge, especially after losing on Long Island Saturday and having to play Oettinger on consecutive days and for the 14th time in the past 15 games. Holtby is nursing a lower-body injury, so Oettinger has to come through. Coach Rick Bowness told the 23-year-old that if he felt even the slightest fatigue to let him know, but Oettinger said he wants the chance to help his team win.
"This is what I want," he said. "I want to be playing every game. Backing up is no fun. Like I said earlier, I have a great opportunity in front of me and hopefully I can just keep being a difference-maker for this team and come up with big stops at the right time."
Oettinger certainly is coming through. He pushed his record to 21-10-1 with a 2.48 GAA and .918 save percentage and might be as responsible as anyone for the Stars playing this well right now.
"He's been really good, really good," said Pavelski said. "He's done his job. He's given us a chance. He's made some key saves throughout a night."
Pavelski's line helped provide the scoring on Sunday. The top line has been in a bit of a slump, but Hintz scored twice - one in transition off a pretty pass from Jason Robertson, and one on a one-timer in the slot from Pavelski. They were beautiful plays and signs that maybe that trio is starting to click again.
"We caught them on a change, and when you do that, it gives you confidence," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "Just getting that one goal, that gave us a boost."

It also shows just how slim the margin for error is. Washington pelted Oettinger with 14 shots in the third period, but Oettinger held on. He made huge stops on Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson, and that proved to be enough.
"He's been really good, and that one save he did there, it could've been 3-3 and he made that kind of save," Hintz said. "It's huge for us."

Mix in a couple of scrums for players in a physical game, a bounce-back night for Tyler Seguin (14-3) and Luke Glendening (9-2) in the faceoff circle, and the ovation for Holtby, and there was a lot of good feeling to go around.
Holtby played 10 seasons in Washington and helped them win the 2018 Stanley Cup. He left last season as a free agent and wasn't able to return for a game because of the COVID scheduling. This was his first trip back, and he stood in the tunnel in a suit as he's sidelined by injury. But the Capitals played a tribute video and the fans showered Holtby with applause in a really touching moment.

"I had tears in my eyes," Bowness said. "It shows the respect and the love they have for Braden. You get emotional watching it because that's what hockey is all about - the passion of the fans, the passion of the players, that's what you love about this game."
On Monday, the NHL trade deadline will remind us that this is very much a business. On Sunday, it was nice to also understand there's a lot of family bonding and friendship going on.
"He's been unbelievable for me," said Oettinger of the mentor relationship with his fellow goalies. "First of all, he's just a great guy, so that ovation is very well deserved. I kind of got emotional because I can't imagine meaning that much to a fanbase. Obviously, he got it done here and he's a legend. I was happy for him."

Don't miss the Stars as they return home to host the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Get your tickets now!
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika.