Here's everything to know as the Capitals look to hand Dallas its first loss of the season.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals are not only looking to build off a convincing performance against the Vegas Golden Knights, but they also face a tall task as they look to hand the Dallas Stars their first loss of the season on Thursday.
Puck drop is at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena.
Here's everything to know before the showdown.
Washington Capitals Line Combinations
The Capitals are sticking with what worked against Vegas and will roll out the same forward lines and defensive pairings. The only change comes in net as Charlie Lindgren gets the start with Logan Thompson having played the game before.
Here are the line combinations:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Aliaksei Protas
Connor McMichael-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana-Hendrix Lapierre-Andrew Mangiapane
Brandon Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Taylor Raddysh
Jakob Chychrun-John Carlson
Martin Fehervary-Dylan McIlrath
Rasmus Sandin-Trevor van Riemsdyk
Charlie Lindgren
Logan Thompson
Matt Roy (lower-body) remains injured, and Sonny Milano and Alex Alexeyev are the healthy scratches.
Washington Capitals Numbers To Know
- Alex Ovechkin recorded his 700th NHL assist back on Tuesday and is still 42 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record. In 26 career games against Dallas, he has 12 goals and 21 points.
- Tom Wilson has goals in back-to-back games to start the season.
- John Carlson and Dylan Strome also have points in each of their games this season.
Washington Capitals Players To Watch
- Ovechkin's the top name to keep an eye on with the 39-year-old still looking for his first goal of the season. He had a team-leading six shots and six hits back on Tuesday.
- Jakub Vrana scored in his return to the Capitals lineup and was using his speed and shot to his advantage. Expect the same as he looks to hold onto his spot in the lineup.
- Jakob Chychrun had his first as a Capital last game, too, and he's been a major threat from the backend. Look for him to continue to bolster the offense from the blue line.
- Nic Dowd's fourth line with Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh has been stellar defensively and on the attack, so expect them to be a threat again against the Stars' top brass.
- Pierre-Luc Dubois is being utilized against opponents' top stars not just for his offensive talents, but as a defensive center, too. Look for him to match up against Jason Robertson and company.
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