Here's everything to know before the Capitals take on the Stars.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals are looking to get back to their winning ways from December and put an ugly end to a five-game road swing behind them as they take on the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
Here's everything to know before puck drop at 8 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.
Washington Capitals Lines
The Capitals will see Evgeny Kuznetsov draw back into the mix following a healthy scratch that allowed him to press reset and realize areas where he can improve his game — though he wasn't necessarily happy with the decision). It will be his 700th NHL game.
Meanwhile, Sonny Milano will be the odd man out, with head coach Spencer Carbery wanting to ignite a spark from him and light a fire amid recent struggles at both ends of the ice.
That said, here are the lines for Thursday's meeting with Dallas:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Tom Wilson
Anthony Mantha-Connor McMichael-Aliaksei Protas
Hendrix Lapierre-Evgeny Kuznetsov-Matthew Phillips
Beck Malenstyn-Nic Dowd-Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Martin Fehervary-John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Joel Edmundson-Nick Jensen
Charlie Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren will get the start after dealing with the flu on the road trip and making 19 of 22 stops in relief of Darcy Kuemper in a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday.
Washington Capitals Injury Report
T.J. Oshie will miss his sixth straight game, though he is expected to be ready as soon as the weekend. The 36-year-old, who suffered an upper-body injury on a collision with Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm on Nov. 24, skated the whole time the team was away and upgraded from non-contact on Thursday. He could play on Saturday vs. the New York Rangers.
Meanwhile, Max Pacioretty continues to skate on his own and is making individual progress. The 34-year-old still has yet to join the group, and more updates are expected within the next couple of weeks. For now, though, he is continuing to skate solo.
Nicklas Backstrom remains away from the team on indefinite leave as he steps away from the game due to issues related to his hip. He has not made any decisions yet regarding retirement, but for now, his leave of absence remains intact.
Washington Capitals Keys To Success
The Stars have dropped back-to-back games and is struggling right now on the road, and the Capitals are in the same boat. Still, they have a huge opportunity to take advantage of home ice on Thursday.
Getting offense going will be huge against Dallas, and it's also time for Kuznetsov to step up and show the team why he should be in the mix and what it was missing when he sat out on Monday. Alex Ovechkin, who has 11 goals in 24 career games against the Stars, also desperately needs to get his game going.
It won't be easy, though, with Dallas not giving up a lot per game and also managing the third-best penalty kill in the NHL. So when it comes to scoring, 5-on-5 goals are vital, especially with D.C. managing the least amount of goals overall this year (50) and the second-least per game on average (2.27).
For the Capitals, though, the biggest key is defense and goaltending. The Stars average the eighth-most goals per game in the league (3.42), and their power play ranks ninth overall (23.5).
Washington Capitals Storylines To Watch
- Kuznetsov enters his 700th NHL game with a chip on his shoulder and plenty to prove as he wants to show Carbery why he should be getting a jersey night in and night out. He said he feels a new fire under him and motivation, and that should fuel him and help him bust out.
- Tom Wilson has four goals in his last three games and is tied with Dylan Strome for the team lead in that department (8).
- Ovechkin is one point away from 1,500 career NHL points.