ABBREVIATED GAME PREVIEW: STARS @ CAPITALS
The best in the West take on one of the top Eastern Conference clubs on Thursday evening, as Lindy Ruff's Dallas Stars (15-4-0) are in DC to take on Barry Trotz's Washington Capitals (12-4-1). Game time at the Verizon Center is 6:00 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Southwest.
This is the first of two games between the clubs this season. The teams will rematch in Dallas on Feb. 13. Last season, the Stars won both meetings with the Caps.
For the Stars, Thursday's game is the end of a mini-road trip. Dallas earned a 3-1 win in Buffalo on Tuesday. On Saturday, the Stars and Sabres will rematch at the American Airlines Center.
Meanwhile, Thursday's game marks the start of a five-game homestand for the Capitals, and the second half of back-to-back games. On Wednesday, the Capitals skated off with a 2-1 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings. After playing the Stars, Washington will host the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
Both the Stars and Capitals have been playing excellent hockey as of late. The Caps have points in five of the last six games (4-1-1) while the Stars are 6-2-0 for the month of November with six wins in the last seven games.
Kari Lehtonen is expected to get the start in goal for the Stars. Workhorse goaltender Braden Holtby was outstanding for the Capitals (25 saves on 26 shots) in the win over Detroit. The Capitals did not hold a morning skate on Thursday. Backup netminder Philipp Grubauer, who has appeared in only three games, could use some work.
On the injury front, the Stars finally have a healthy lineup, minus Brett Ritchie (wrist surgery) who had surgery in early September and is expected be out until the end of the calendar year or early 2016. For the Capitals, shutdown defenseman Brooks Orpik is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.