Lars Eller Is Back From Vancouver And Available; No Update For T.J. Oshie, Nic Dowd and Trevor van Riemsdyk; Vitek Vanecek Gets The Start: Notes From Capitals-Stars Pre-Game

Posted on March 20, 2022 by Jon Sorensen


The Washington Capitals face the Dallas Stars today for the second and final time this season. The Capitals won the first matchup, 5-0, on Jan. 28 at American Airlines Center behind a 29-save performance by Vitek Vanecek. 

Capitals bench boss Peter Laviolette met with the media this afternoon. He did not have updates on the status of T.J. Oshie, Nic Dowd and Trevor van Riemsdyk.

Lars Eller has returned from his quarantine in Vancouver, skated at MedStar yesterday  and is available tonight.

The Capitals recalled Brett Leason from Hershey and re-assigned Mike Vecchione to Hershey Sunday morning.

Dallas

Washington has earned points in seven straight games against Dallas, dating back to Dec. 19, 2017 (4-0-3). Alex Ovechkin has registered 16 points (10g, 6a) in 21 career games against Dallas and has earned a point in seven of his last 12 games (6g, 5a) while Nicklas Backstrom has recorded 22 points (6g, 16a) in 19 career games against the Stars, including 18 points in his last 13 games (6g, 12a). With a point in today’s game versus Dallas, the Capitals will set a new season-high nine game point streak.

EK-92

With a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes Friday night, Evgeny Kuznetsov extended his point streak to eight games (6g, 5a). That’s tied for the longest point streak by a Capital this season (Alex Ovechkin: eight games from Oct. 13-29, 9g, 6a) and equals his personal career high (accomplished twice previously, most recently Nov. 30 to Dec. 15, 2018, 10a). Kuznetsov, who has 10 points (4g, 6a) in 13 career games against Dallas, ranks second on the team in goals (21) and points (61) and tied for first in assists (40).

Kuznetsov’s 1.02 points per game rate this season (61 points in 60 games) is the second highest of his career, only behind his 1.05 rate during the 2017-18 season, when he set career highs in goals (27) and points (83). The Capitals hold a 28-10-4 record when Kuznetsov records a point this season, good for a .707 points percentage.

Puck drop for tonight’s Capitals-Stars game is set for 5:00 PM.

By Jon Sorensen

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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2 Responses to Lars Eller Is Back From Vancouver And Available; No Update For T.J. Oshie, Nic Dowd and Trevor van Riemsdyk; Vitek Vanecek Gets The Start: Notes From Capitals-Stars Pre-Game

  1. DC Scappeli says:
    March 20, 2022 at 3:13 pm

    Good to see Tiger out of the isolation protocols, but jeez…hope the Caps can get healthy towards the end of the season and in time for the playoffs. Crazy season with injuries and covid

    Reply

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