Justin Sourdif gave Capitals fans one of the most fun individual efforts of the season, recording five points and scoring his first career hat trick against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday. Sourdif had fantastic chemistry with Connor McMichael and Ryan Leonard in their first game together.

Now the question becomes – Can the Young Guns 2.0 keep it up against a usually-stingy, defensively stout Dallas Stars team?

With Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas out again due to injury, Brett Leason will make his season debut with the Capitals. Meanwhile, Dylan McIlrath will remain in the lineup.

The Stars come into on a six-game losing streak. Casey DeSmith will start in goal over Jake Oettinger while the Capitals will counter with Logan Thompson.

Puck drop for today’s game is scheduled for a little after 7:00 pm. The game’s national and on TNT.

I’m dedicating my work tonight to Callie. I love you, my sweet girl. 💔

Lines

Washington Capitals

Dallas Stars

Tunnel shenanigans

1st Period

Puck is dropped. McMichael-Sourdif-Leonard and Fehervary-Carlson get the start.

Ilya Lyubushkin to the box for holding Jakob Chychrun at 2:44.

Stars’ Radek Faska goes 1 on 3 shorthanded and scores after Logan Thompson loses sight of a rebound. WHAT WAS THAT.

Back to the power play and… Justin Sourdif gets tossed from the faceoff dot, starts screaming at the official, Connor McMichael comes in, says something, and he gets an unsportsmanlike doncut penalty, killing the rest of the team’s power play. You can tell Carbery is fuming.

The two teams are now playing four-on-four.

Puck bounces over Dylan Strome’s stick on a wide-open net down low after a great setup by John Carlson.

Stars are outshooting the Capitals 5-0, 5:30 into the first period.

Apparently Beck Malenstyn has returned to the Capitals because one of the commentators said he just made a play. Lmao. No one on the Capitals even wears no. 47.

Sam Steel ailing and holding his left arm after a big hit by Ethen Frank.

At intermission: The Stars lead 1-0. The Caps didn’t really do anything in the first period. They were there. They existed. But that was about it. Shots on goal are 10-8 Dallas.

2nd Period

Puck is dropped.

Ilya Lyubushkin and Brandon Duhaime throwing punches at each other after the play at 1:12. Lyubushkin is going down the tunnel due to a cut on his nose.

John Carlson… just watching a pass through the paint to his man, no stick lift or anything, just chillin.

Ryan Leonard fakes a dump-in and almost scores with a crazy shot to the far side from center ice.

Brandon Duhaime and Ilya Lyubushkin drop the gloves right off a faceoff at 12:53. Duhaime punches Lyubushkin about 5 times hard in the back of the helmet. Hope his knuckles are doing okay. The Caps crowd is finally into it, though.

Logan Thompson stops Roope Hintz on a two-on-none breakaway after Nic Dowd fails to get the puck deep. Caps look awful.

Mikko Rantanen slashes Justin Sourdif at 15:55. Caps going back to the power play.

At intermission: The Stars lead 2-0. Dallas leads in shots on goal 20 to 13.

3rd Period

Puck is dropped.

Anthony Beauvillier takes it hard to the net, and gets two opportunities but can’t whack the puck through.

Nic Dowd to the box for hooking at 4:57. The Caps look awful. Just listless. Can’t get anything going. A lot of standing around.

4 shots by the Stars on the power play. Thompson keeping the Caps close.

McMichael ices the puck at the end of the kill.

Caps have one shot on goal through the first 7:03 of the third period.

Jason Robertson rips one hard off the post. Thompson is flopping all over the place to keep the puck out.

McMichael and Duchene trade opportunities down the wing off the rush.

Beauvillier sends a horrible pass backwards to Matt Roy in the defensive zone, turnover to the Stars’ Steel, and Wyatt Johnston scores easily in front of the net. YIKES.

Caps pull Thompson with 2:26 remaining. Why not?

Alex Ovechkin scores his 915th career goal via a one-timer at the top of the left circle.

Capitals pull Thompson again.

Timeout Washington with 1:20 remaining.

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