GAME PREVIEW (9:30 AM CDT)
Looking to bounce quickly after blowing a third-period lead in Thursday's opening night loss, the Dallas Stars (0-1-0) play host to the Washington Capitals (1-1-0) tonight at the American Airlines Center. Game time is 7 p.m. central. The game will be televised locally on TXA 21.
This is the first of two matchups between the teams this season, and the lone occasion in which Alexander Ovechkin and company will be in Dallas. The Capitals have not played a road game in Dallas since 2010. After tonight, the teams won't see each other again until an April 1 game in Washington.
STARS OUTLOOK
Buoyed by outstanding goaltending from Kari Lehtonen and tallies from Alex Chiasson and Brenden Dillon (shorthanded), the Stars built a 2-1 lead in the third period of their regular season opener against Florida. The Panthers roared back for three unanswered goals (the final one an empty netter) to send the Stars to a 4-2 defeat in regulation.
Although the opener was there for the taking for Dallas, there were numerous areas the team needs to clean up in the games to come. The power play generated little offensive zone possession time, much less scoring chances. The team defense was often sloppy, and the Stars yielded 39 shots in all. Lastly, there were too many puck battles where Stars players got outworked and the opposition claimed the disc.
Rich Peverley, who came over along with Tyler Seguin in the deal that sent Loui Eriksson to Boston, is slated to make his Stars debut tonight.
CAPITALS OUTLOOK
After dropping their regular season opener and falling behind 3-0 against Calgary on Thursday, the Caps struck back to prevail via shootout, 5-3, and even their regular season record at 1-1-0.
Reigning Hart Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin led the way for Washington, notching a pair of regulation goals (one on the power play and one at even strength) plus an assist to trigger the comeback. Ovechkin also scored on his shootout attempt, along with Mikhail Grabovski. Connor Carrick and Nicklas Bäckström (power play) tallied the other two regulation goals for the Capitals.
Goaltender Braden Holtby is off to a rough start in the first week of the 2013-14 regular season. He has yielded eight goals on 45 shots in his first two starts. On Thursday, Holtby was pulled in favor of Michal Neuvirth after giving up three goals on 11 shots the first period. Capitals head coach Adam Oates wants his projected number one goalie to get right back on the horse, and Holtby will get the starting nod again tonight.
The Capitals went 2-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill against Calgary after producing a 3-for-6 power play effort and 3-for-4 penalty kill in their 6-4 opening night loss in Chicago.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
STARS
14 Jamie Benn - 91 Tyler Seguin - 72 Erik Cole
13 Ray Whitney -20 Cody Eakin - 12 Alex Chiasson
10 Shawn Horcoff - 38 Vernon Fiddler - 43 Valeri Nichushkin
21 Antoine Roussel - 17 Rich Peverley- 16 Ryan Garbutt
4 Brenden Dillon - 3 Stephane Robidas
33 Alex Goligoski - 55 Sergei Gonchar
24 Jordie Benn - 6 Trevor Daley
32 Kari Lehtonen
[30 Dan Ellis]
Possible scratches: Lane MacDermid (healthy), Kevin Connauton (healthy), Chris Mueller (healthy), Aaron Rome (IR, hip surgery), Scott Glennie (IR, knee).
CAPITALS
90 Marcus Johansson - 19 Nicklas Bäckström - 8 Alexander Ovechkin
21 Brooks Laich - 84 Mikhail Grabovski - 20 Troy Brouwer
25 Jason Chimera - 26 Eric Fehr - 42 Joel Ward
10 Martin Erat - 83 Jay Beagle - 43 Tom Wilson
27 Karl Alzner - 52 Mike Green
4 John Erskine - 74 John Carlson
61 Steven Oleksy - 58 Connor Carrick
70 Braden Holtby
[30 Michal Neuvirth]
Possible scratches: Jack Hillen (leg), Aaron Volpatti (healthy), Alexander Urbom (healthy).
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