Stars shutout Caps in defensive battle low on scoring chances originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Capitals were shut out for the first time this season Thursday when the Dallas Stars beat them 2-0 in a game that had both teams fighting for open looks all night.
Jake Oettinger continued his red-hot start to the year in net, needing to make 27 saves to keep Washington (4-4) off the scoreboard. Jason Robertson put the Stars (6-2-1) ahead with a goal on a misdirection late in the first period and Joel Kiviranta added some insurance on a short-handed score in the third.
While the Capitals proved to be the more physical team in the contest, it wasn’t enough for them to maintain control of the puck and generate many scoring chances.
Here are three takeaways from the Capitals’ loss in Dallas.
Oettinger’s ascent continues
After emerging as one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2021-22 Stanley Cup playoffs, Oettinger has picked up right where he left off. The 23-year-old entered Thursday’s game with a .953 save percentage and an NHL-best 1.41 GAA over his first five starts.
The Stars’ blue line didn’t put him in many difficult positions, but Oettinger responded when called upon.
He wrestled the starting job away from Braden Holtby last season and the Stars showed no reservations about handing him the crease following his performance in their first-round playoff series against the Calgary Flames that went seven games.
Thursday’s game provided zero reasons to doubt that confidence.
Both teams struggle with zone entries
Washington registered 27 shots on goal Thursday with just 15 in the first two periods. A team that has often been hot and cold from period to period, the Capitals played a consistent game throughout the contest — it just wasn’t the type of game they wanted to play.
Every open look was a battle as the puck was wrestled back and forth across the neutral zone.
It was a different pace than Washington had seen in the early goings this season. Five of their first seven games ended with goal totals of seven or higher. For most of the night, the only goal that stood on the board was off a loose puck that Stars defenseman Nils Lundqvist fired from the point and Robertson caught with his stick in midair to push it past Kuemper.
Caps struggle with man advantage
Even on the power play, the Capitals didn’t muster much offensive momentum. They got off just one shot during their first opportunity then saw their second chance squandered when forward Garnet Hathaway was called for roughing without any time coming off the clock between penalties.
In the third period, the Capitals got another power-play chance trailing by one, but a bad turnover in the defensive zone allowed Kiviranta to get a free chance against Kuemper.
Washington picked up a penalty with 4:04 left in the game, forcing them to pull their goalie just to get an even 4-on-4 situation on the ice. The Capitals couldn’t score to pull the game within reach and the buzzer sounded to send them to 4-4 on the season. They’ll take a day to regroup before facing the Nashville Predators (3-4-1) in Tennessee on Saturday.