Dallas Stars at Washington Capitals Preview

So 4-0-0 is good, right. I've probably been to harsh/negative about what the Dallas Stars have accomplished so far this season. That's eight out of eight point, if you don't want to do the math. Those eight points count, and by the end of the year, they could make the difference between winning the division and sitting in the middle of the playoff pack (lets be serious – this team shouldn't be THAT worried about just making the playoffs).

I did pick a good game to pay specific attention to Logan Stankoven. By the eye test, he was solid, getting his fifth assist of the season. The fancy stats weren't quite as high on him (yet again), but they fit in with the rest of the team. Stankoven has moved seamlessly between the top line and the third line – which is great – but those are the lines that have yet to find their mojo in the young season.

If you want to look at why the Stars are undefeated, you'd start with goaltending . Ilya Lyubushkin has been better than expected and you can throw Nils Lundkvist in as well. The fourth line has been as expected – which is what you should get with a defensive blanket in Oskar Bäck along with two other guys (Sam Steel and Colin Blackwell) who could easily show up further up the lineup on a team without the Stars depth.

The big story – and what is driving Dallas at the moment – is the second line. Mason Marchment has been the best skater on the team, and Matt Duchene has been right there with him. Tyler Seguin is earning a good amount of his $9 million+, but the line kept things rolling against San Jose even with Evgenii Dadonov replacing Seguin.

The beauty of this team is that, when the inevitable return to earth happens with the second line, another trio is likely to step up. Dallas hasn't hit its stride yet, but they've won four straight, so as a fan, it's probably time to stop complaining and sit back and enjoy it while it lasts.

Dallas Stars Lineup

Jason Robertson (21) – Roope Hintz (24) – Wyatt Johnston (53) Mason Marchment (27) – Matt Duchene (95) – Evgenii Dadonov (63) Jamie Benn (14) – Mavrik Bourque (22) – Logan Stankoven (11) Oskar Bäck (21) – Sam Steel (18) – Colin Blackwell (15)

Thomas Harley (55) – Miro Heiskanen (4) Brendan Smith (2) – Ilya Lyubushkin (46) Esa Lindell (23) – Nils Lundqvist (5) Jake Oettinger (29) Casey DeSmith (1)

Matt Dumba is still week to week, and for now Tyler Seguin is questionable. Once Seguin is back, the Stars will face an interesting decision regarding Bäck. He probably sits, but you could easily see him swap with a different forward from the Texas Stars just so everybody gets their NHL time – and so the 13th forward still gets the ice time that developing players need.

Washington Capitals Lineup

Alex Ovechkin (8) – Dylan Strome (17) – Aliaksei Protas (21) Connor McMichael (24) – Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) – Tom Wilson (43) Andrew Mangiapane (88) – Lapierre (29) – Jakub Vrana (13) Brandon Duhaime (22) – Nic Dowd (26) – Taylor Raddysh (16)

Jakob Chychrun (6) – John Carlson (74) Martin Fehervary (42) – Dylan McIlrath (52) Rasmus Sandin (38) – Trevor van Riemsdyk (57)

Charlie Lindgren (79) Logan Thompson (48)

Washington was a surprise playoff team last season, in spite of being significantly outscored. The team did to out to try and improve during the offseason – including bringing in Dubois to shore things up down the middle and adding Matt Roy to solidify a reliable defensive group. Roy is out, short term.

Washington is only two games into their season – an opening 5-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils and a 4-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Both games at home. Lindgren and Thompson have split net duties, but based on what they're paying their top two, the Capitals to be going 2A and 2B in net. You'd think that after winning the Hershey Bears two straight Calder Cups, the NHL club would at least give Hunter Shepard a sniff at earning the job.

Things to Watch

Alex Ovechkin – duh.

He may not be multi-faceted, but the Great 8 can still "stimulate the rubber". When you get a chance to watch a generational talent, you watch.

Mavrik Bourque.

First game jitters are over. Keep an eye on last years AHL MVP – especially his passing and how he handles his defensive responsibilities.

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If I read things right, David Castillo has gone from loving this as a stretch strategy to worrying that the Stars are using it at the expense of more dependable zone exits (all in the matter of two days). David's a smart guy – so lets keep an eye on how the Stars are getting the puck out of the zone.