The Dallas Stars concluded the brief, two-game homestand with a home game against the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon. The Stars defeated the Capitals 5-4 in the overtime period at the American Airlines Center. Dallas improved to 30-13-6, while Washington fell to 22-18-7.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Miro Heiskanen, Tyler Seguin, Mason Marchment, Matt Duchene, Thomas Harley, and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger made 24 saves for a home win. Meanwhile, Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren made an incredible 30 saves in a losing road effort.
The Capitals drew first blood on the road. Anthony Mantha fired a wrist shot into the Stars’ net for a 1-0 lead at 9:40 of the opening period. Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson collected the assists on Mantha’s 15th of the season.
The Stars wasted little time tying the game at one apiece. Wyatt Johnston responded with a wrist shot to tie the game 1-1 at 10:48 of the first period. Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen collected the assists on Johnston’s 14th of the season.
The Stars quickly took a one-goal lead. Thomas Harley whipped in a wrist shot to make it a 2-1 game at 11:07 of the first period. Jamie Benn and Sam Steel collected the assists on Harley’s 11th of the season.
The opening period saw five seconds left on the 5-on-4 penalty kill. The 5-on-4 penalty kill occurred after Mason Marchment was called for high-sticking against Trevor van Riemsdyk at 18:05 of the first period.
The Stars led the Capitals 2-1 at the end of the first. Dallas outshot Washington 11-7 after 20 minutes.
The Capitals opened the second-period scoring. Rasmus Sandin blasted in a wrist shot for a game-tying goal that tied the game 2-2 at 6:24 of the second period. Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Trevor van Riemsdyk collected the assists on Sandin’s first of the season.
The Stars took back the lead. Beck Malenstyn was called for tripping against Miro Heiskanen at 10:18 of the second period, and the Stars got on the power play. Mason Marchment capitalized on the man advantage and tipped in a shot for a go-ahead, power-play goal, and a 3-2 lead at the 11-minute mark. Tyler Seguin and (Miro) Heiskanen collected the assists on Marchment’s 16th of the season.
The Stars brought a 3-2 lead to the locker room at the end of two periods. Dallas outshot Washington 26-13 through 40 minutes.
The Stars got a little insurance. Matt Duchene’s suite got loud, just like the home crowd. The man of the afternoon, Matt Duchene, scored a wrist shot goal to extend the Stars’ lead to 4-2 at 2:24 of the third period. Mason Marchment collected the lone assist on Duchene’s 17th of the season.
The Capitals made it a one-goal game. Sam Steel was called for tripping against Martin Fehervary at 16:24 of the third period, and the Stars went on the penalty kill. Alex Ovechkin unleashed a slap shot for a power-play goal that cut the Stars’ lead to 4-3 at the 18-minute point. Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dylan Strome collected the assists on Ovechkin’s ninth of the season. Ovechkin may be up there in age, but he’s still a top-scoring forward in the NHL.
The Capitals tied the game at four apiece to wrap up the third-period scoring. Dylan Strome rifled a snap shot and tied the game 4-4 with 43 seconds left in the third period. Anthony Mantha and Alex Ovechkin collected the assists on Strome’s 19th of the season.
The game ended in a 4-4 tie and went into a 3-on-3 overtime. Dallas outshot Washington 35-26 after a full 60 minutes.
The Stars were able to streak into the NHL All-Star Break with a 5-4 win over the Capitals in overtime. Thomas Harley blasted in a wrist shot for the game-winning goal at 3:27 in overtime. Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene collected the assists on Harley’s 12th of the season and second of the game.
Notes
Three Stars of the Game
1. Thomas Harley (2 points: 2 goals)
2. Mason Marchment (2 points: 1 goal and 1 assist)
3. Anthony Mantha (2 points: 1 goal and 1 assist)
Cheers to 1,000
Before Saturday’s Stars-Capitals game, Dallas honored Matt Duchene with his Silver Stick to commemorate his 1,000th NHL game, which he skated in on December 7, 2023, in Washington, D.C.
Up Next
After the NHL All-Star festivities, Dallas will return to action at the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, February 6, at 6:00 p.m. Central.
