Caps Start Trip vs. Stars
Washington finishes out October on the road, starting a three-game Sun Belt tour on Thursday in Dallas
Washington has three road games under its belt thus far in 2022-23, but each of those has been a journey of a single game. On Thursday in Dallas, the Caps kick off their first multi-game road trip of the season, a three-game mid-autumn tour of the Sun Belt.
The Caps claimed their first road victory of the season on Monday night in New Jersey, doubling up the Devils 6-3. After an 0-2-0 start to the season, Washington has rallied to win four of its last five games. Now the Caps will seek to keep their foot on the pedal as they face some formidable foes on the road to close out the October portion of their schedule.
In Monday's win in Newark, the Caps broke open a 1-1 game with a four-goal second period, their third four-goal period in a span of just four games. The Caps have typically been an explosive offensive outfit over the course of Alex Ovechkin's time in the District, but they've rebounded from a sleepy start to the season offensively, and they've been getting production from throughout their lineup.
"I think it's awesome," says Caps winger Conor Sheary, the team's leading goal scorer with four. "And we're getting it all the way throughout our lineup. Our top line and our power play is scoring, and our fourth line is scoring. Whenever you can get that secondary scoring it's always going to help you win."
Although they've had stretches within every game where they didn't play well or could have played better, the Caps have been in every game they've played this season, and they've had at least a chance to win them all. Given their ongoing personnel issues, it's a good start. But there's also a long, long way to go.
"Teams are going to apply pressure," says Caps center Nic Dowd. "They're going to have better periods than us. But I think first off, our special teams have to be good. With our penalty kill, we've had a couple of bad bounces here or there, but our penalty kill has to be a little bit better. Our power play started off slow, but the guys have been really good the last few games.
"But we've got to be able to weather the storm a little bit. We can't give up three or four goals right away, but honestly I think we've played pretty well the majority of those games. And it's been one play every game, and it's been a goal against on just one random play. I think for the most part, we've played pretty well. I just think we need to believe in our systems and to play within them, and good things will happen. We have such veteran players and high-end talent that guys will create and make plays. But we don't need to dig ourselves any holes, that's for sure."
As Dowd notes, special teams have improved for Washington in the last few games. After starting the season 0-for-9 with the extra man, the Caps' power play has scored at least once in four of five games since, going 6-for-15 (40%) over that span. The Washington penalty kill was dented for a goal against in four of the first five games of the season, but has turned in two straight spotless games, succeeding in each of its last seven missions.
That said, the Caps could stand to improve at 5-on-5 in their own end of the ice. Washington has yielded 16 goals at 5-on-5 in seven games, tied for eighth most in the League. Three of the teams ahead of the Caps on that dubious list have played more than seven games. Monday's win over New Jersey provided a vexing example; the Caps carried a 5-1 lead into the third before yielding a pair of early goals to the Devils, allowing them to climb back into the contest.
"Probably the point blank chances that we're giving up right in front of the net," says Caps coach Peter Laviolette, on where he's seeking improvement defensively. "I don't know if the third period was just that we dropped our guard a little bit in a 5-1 game, but then there were some chances in games prior where it's that point blank chance for somebody, where we've got to be better than that.
"So we talked about it this morning. There are some areas in the neutral zone defensively where I think we can make some small adjustments to positioning, and be in a better spot and in better shape, But there's no question that I would like to trim that down. Some of the games have been really good, and then some of them have not. We've got to find a way to be better."
Dallas is back home following a road trip in which they played four games in six nights. The Stars started the season 3-0 and took that record with them on the road, but went 1-2-1 on the trip, with the two regulation losses coming on back-to-back nights at the end of the trip, in Ottawa and Boston, respectively.
Stars blueliner Miro Heiskanen was injured in the Ottawa game but played through it, only to wake up "really sore" the next morning in Boston, according to Stars coach Pete DeBoer. Dallas kept Heiskanen out of the Boston game, and the star blueliner is listed as day-to-day.
Monday's game with the Caps kicks off a three-game homestand for the Stars, who will host the Rangers and the Kings before departing on a three-game trip out west late next week.
