Comments / New

Capitals-Stars: How the Game Was Won

Oct 17, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals players salute the fans after their game against the Dallas Stars at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Last night’s win over the Stars was one of those full-team efforts – much like their victory two nights earlier over an equally tough Golden Knights team, everyone had to contribute and did so to get the two points.

There were a lot of ways in which this game ended up in the win column. The team got goals from the top-six forwards, with Tom Wilson and Dylan Strome staying hot; they also got offense from the fourth line, with Taylor Raddysh checking in with his first as a Cap. They played excellent defense against some of Dallas’s heavy hitters, with Pierre-Luc Dubois in particular earning praise for his work, got steady goaltending from Charlie Lindgren, showcased a rock-solid penalty kill, and rolled out a power play that…okay, maybe not so much with the power play.

That team effort was on full display during the final two minutes of the third period, up by a goal and facing a potent Dallas attack. The team had just killed off a late, ill-advised penalty to Connor McMichael – a fairly textbook penalty kill, but still noteworthy given the game situation.

Plus it included this little moment from Nic Dowd:

The penalty killed, Dallas pulled their goalie and the team went directly from a four-on-five situation into a five-on-six setup that somehow was way more threatening than the Stars’ power play. Almost immediately, Martin Fehervary had to make a big block, which was followed up by another big block from #42, a blocked shot by Brandon Duhaime, and yes, yet another block by Fehervary.

It’s worth noting here that Fehervary didn’t have the best game overall, but in those last two minutes, he was an absolute beast.

All of those bruising moments were followed by Pierre-Luc Dubois outmuscling a Dallas attacker at the blue line and clearing the puck down the ice. Then it was Andrew Mangiapane laying out to stop the Stars from reentering the zone, followed by a huge save from Charlie Lindgren in the dying seconds…the only shot from a Dallas skater that made it to the net in that entire sequence.

Just a really nice win, again, from the boys in red as they wrap up their homestand. Now they head up I-95 to kick off a trio of Metro Division throwdowns – a rematch against the Devils and a home-and-home series against the Flyers.

Talking Points