The Dallas Cowboys managed to scrape a win on Christmas Day against the Washington Commanders in a game that got close, closer than what some fans would have preferred. But how did the Cowboys rookie class perform during the divisional victory? Let’s take a look.
Washington
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second-Round Series Preview: Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Photo: John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images
The Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes will meet for only the second instance all-time in the postseason during the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Carolina came back from 2-0 and 3-2 series deficits and took Game 7 of the 2019 first-round series in overtime. The best-of-seven series will kick off with Game 1 on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena (7 PM ET, ESPN).
SCHEDULE
Graphic: @Capitals
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Carolina: 47-30-5 regular-season record (.604 points percentage), second in Metropolitan Division; 4-1 first-round series win over New Jersey Devils
Washington: 51-22-9 regular-season record (.677 points percentage), first in Eastern Conference; 4-1 first-round series win over Montreal Canadiens
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES
- 12/20/2024: 3-1 Washington
- 4/10/2025: 5-4 Washington (SO)
** N0te: Carolina hosted Washington, who played the second half of a back-to-back both instances they visited Raleigh, after coming off of two days of rested themselves each time
REGULAR-SEASON TEAM LEADERS
Ovechkin (1.12, 73 in 65), who missed 16 games with a broken leg in November and December, and Strome (1.00) both averaged at least a point-per-game for Washington. Ovechkin, Tom Wilson (33-32-65 in 81), and Aliaksei Protas (30-36-66 in 76) all hit the 30-goal mark while Strome (29) came up just short. Connor McMichael (26-31-57 in 82), Jakob Chychrun (20-27-47 in 74), and Pierre-Luc Dubois (20-46-66 in 82) all eclipsed 20.
Aho and Jarvis were the only Hurricanes to finish the season on the roster and hit the 25-goal, 60-point marks, respectively, after the team traded Martin Necas in January and Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline. Jarvis, Aho (29), Jack Roslovic (22), and Svechnikov (22) were the only Hurricanes to eclipse 20 goals.
FIRST ROUND TEAM LEADERS
Svechnikov co-led the NHL in goals with Minnesota Wild left-wings Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy and Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon through five games of the first round league-wide.
Strome was just a helper shy of Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and St. Louis Blues defenseman Cam Fowler of the league lead and co-led in points with Kaprizov and Fowler among players not participating in the Los Angeles Kings-Edmonton series.
REGULAR-SEASON TEAM STATISTICS
Both teams had nearly identical goals-against totals and ranked in the top five league-wide when it came to penalty-killing, where Carolina led the pack. The Hurricanes finished with the lowest shots-against, where the Capitals ranked 10th.
While both squads finished above .5 in every possession metric, Carolina led the NHL in each category. However, Washington had the best shooting percentage and better save percentage.
FIRST-ROUND TEAM STATISTICS
The Capitals and Hurricanes had identical goals and goals-against per game averages but Carolina had significantly better special teams. The Hurricanes had a slight advantage in shot suppression, though both teams thrived in that area during the first round.
Washington had the better expected goals ratio but Carolina fared better in the other two possession metrics. The Capitals were also better at finishing their chances.
GOALTENDING MATCHUP
Thompson, 28, performed better than Andersen, 35, in every category during the regular- and postseason. Andersen is expected to be ready after getting injured in the second period of Game 4 at New Jersey and not returning for the remainder of the first round.
Thompson played only one period against Carolina during the regular season, making nine saves on 12 shots-against (.750) on April 2. Andersen, 35, recorded a 1-0-1 record, .898 save percentage, and 2.41 goals-against average in the last two meetings.
Andersen topped both Thompson’s save percentage and goals-against average in four games during the first round.
INJURIES
Washington
- D Martin Fehervary (knee)
- LW Sonny Milano (upper-body)
- C Nicklas Backstrom (hip)
- RW T.J. Oshie (back)
Carolina
WILL WIN IF
Washington: the team continues to control the puck against a strong possession team and does not allow Carolina to spend long amounts of time in the offensive zone; steal at least a game out of Raleigh after the Hurricanes went an Eastern Conference-best 31-9-1 at home (which was also second in the NHL) during the regular season and won all three games at Lenovo Center in the first round (Washington went 25-13-3 on the road in the regular season – tied league lead with Toronto Maple Leafs – before splitting two games in Montreal during the first round, Carolina has gone under .500 on the road with a 16-21-4 regular-season record and split two postseason away contests); they win the special teams matchup
Carolina: Andersen outplays Thompson after falling to Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2021), Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers, 2022/2024), Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers, 2023) the previous four seasons; they get scoring depth across their forward lineup; they turn their strong scoring-chance generation into more goals
X-FACTORS
Washington: C Pierre-Luc Dubois — The 26-year-old will likely get tasked with shutting down Aho and Svechnikov’s line after doing the same to Nick Suzuki’s in the first round. Dubois gives Washington an advantage down the middle, especially after Carolina parted with their second-line center in Necas during the regular season and may be vulnerable at that position. Dubois had a solid first round, when he tallied a .5386 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, but he has more offense in him than the two assists he notched in five games vs. Montreal. If Dubois produces more offense than he did in the first round, it could be a big difference maker for Washington.
Carolina: Andersen — Carolina was arguably the better team in each of the last two series losses but fell because their opponent had the superior goaltending. Once again in this series, Washington likely has the edge in net after Thompson had a breakout regular season and shined again in the first round. The Hurricanes will need timely saves to build momentum that compliments their possession dominance in the offensive zone and Andersen needs to continue to put up the numbers he turned in against New Jersey to give his team a boost.
PROJECTED LINES
Carolina
Svechnikov — Aho — Jackson Blake
Jordan Martinook – Jordan Staal — Jarvis
Taylor Hall – Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Logan Stankoven
Eric Robinson — Mark Jankowski — William Carrier
Slavin — Brent Burns
Dmitry Orlov — Jalen Chatfield
Shayne Gostisbehere – Sean Walker
Andersen
Pyotr Kochetkov
- Scratched
- Roslovic
- C Skylar Brind’Amour
- C Tyson Jost
- C Bradley Nadeau
- D Riley Stillman
- D Scott Morrow
- D Domenick Fensore
- G Spencer Martin
Washington
Ovechkin — Strome — Anthony Beauvillier
McMichael – Dubois — Wilson
Andrew Mangiapane – Lars Eller — Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime — Nic Dowd — Protas
Chychrun — Carlson
Rasmus Sandin — Roy
Alexander Alexeyev – Trevor Van Riemsdyk
Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
- Scratched
- RW Taylor Raddysh
- D Dylan McIlrath
- D Ethan Bear
- RW Ethen Frank
- G Mitchell Gibson
BETTING ODDS (Caesers, as of 5/2)
- Series Betting
- Carolina: -175
- Washington: +148
- Series Score
- Carolina 4-1: +500
- Carolina 4-2: +350
- Carolina 4-3: +475
- Carolina 4-0: +900
- Washington 4-3: +500
- Washington 4-2: +675
- Washington 4-1: +800
- Washington 4-0: +1800
- Total Number Of Games
- 4: +600
- 5: +260
- 6: +190
- 7: +200
- Series Spreads
- Series Handicap 2
- Carolina +2.5: -800
- Washington -2.5: +550
- Series Handicap
- Carolina +1.5: -320
- Washington -1.5: +250
- Series Handicap 3
- Carolina -1.5: +120
- Washington +1.5: -150
- Series Handicap 4
- Carolina -2.5: +270
- Washington +2.5: -350
- Series Handicap 2
STAFF SERIES PREDICTIONS
- Jon: Washington in 7
- Ethan: Washington in 6
- Della: Washington in 7
- Diane: Washington in 7
- Harrison: Washington in 6
- Eric: Washington in 6
- Aaron: Washington in 7
By Harrison Brown
Mariota, who is dealing with a cut on his throwing hand and a quad injury, was considered doubtful to play in Week 18, Quinn said earlier in the week, and has not practiced since sustaining his injuries. Josh Johnson is set to make his second start to close out the Commanders’ season.
(Game stats- Snaps: 92, Pass Blocks: 49, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 2, Penalties: 1)
Booker turned in another heavy-workload performance against Washington on Christmas Day, playing all 92 offensive snaps and earning a 74.6 overall grade, one of the better marks on the Cowboys’ offense in the 30–23 win. Dallas leaned hard on the interior run game, piling up 211 rushing yards and repeatedly gashing the middle of the Commanders’ front. Booker was a big part of those double teams and combo blocks with Cooper Beebe, helping Malik Davis and Javonte Williams stay on schedule and letting Brian Schottenheimer live in fourth-and-short territory.
It wasn’t a clean day in protection for the unit as a whole. Dak Prescott was sacked six times and hit repeatedly, with rookie phenom Jer’Zhan Newton racking up three sacks and five QB hits as Washington generated 19 total pressures. Interior pressure was prominent in postgame breakdowns, so Booker clearly had some rough snaps dealing with Newton’s quickness and power on games and stunts, even if not every sack can be laid at his feet.
One blemish on his night was an early bad penalty flagged on Booker on the opening drive, which, paired with a sack, put the offense behind the chains before they worked their way back into scoring range. To his credit, the moment didn’t snowball. He settled in, and as the game wore on his physicality in the run game helped Dallas salt away clock on multiple long marches in the second half.
(Game stats- Snaps: 39, Total Tackles: 2, Pressures: 3, Sacks: 0, TFL: 0)
Ezeiruaku had one of his quietest games of the season against Washington, more solid in assignment than impactful on the stat sheet. He was on the field for just 26 defensive snaps off the edge and registered only one total tackle with zero sacks, zero tackles for loss, and one total pressure. With the Cowboys generating only two sacks and three quarterback hits as a team and still allowing 8.6 yards per play and 138 rushing yards on just 17 carries, this was clearly not a night where the front consistently lived in the Commanders’ backfield.
Through this week, PFF has Ezeiruaku at a 76.4 overall grade with 35 total pressures on 580 snaps, ranking him among the league’s better rookie edge defenders. Pre-game advanced scouting had highlighted his recent 25% pass-rush win rate and 12% pressure rate over the previous month, even though that stretch produced hits rather than sacks. Against Washington, that underlying disruption never really showed up in the box score. He finished the game in a low-impact role while others, notably Jadeveon Clowney and Quinnen Williams, handled the actual finishing on Josh Johnson.
(Game stats- Snaps: 42, Total Tackles: 6, PBU: 1, INT: 0, TD Allowed: 0, RTG Allowed: 109.7)
Revel’s Christmas Day against Washington was another bumpy outing in what has become a tough rookie year, and it ended in a way that almost certainly pushes his focus to 2026. PFF graded him at 50.1 overall, the third-worst mark on the Cowboys’ defense, with of 43.0 against the run, 33.5 in tackling and 59.4 in coverage. On the coverage side of things, he was targeted six times and allowed four catches for 84 yards, his second straight game giving up 80-plus yards, as Washington repeatedly found space on his side of the field. The tackling issues that have dogged him all season showed up again too, he’s now credited with eight missed tackles (18.6%) on the year, and open-field whiffs in this game turned short gains into bigger plays.
Midway through the second half he took a blow to the head, walked off slowly and did not return. Postgame reports confirmed he’s been placed in the concussion protocol, with the team acknowledging he faces an uphill battle to be cleared for Week 18. With only one game left and nothing to play for in the standings, there’s a good argument for Dallas to shut him down, effectively ending his rookie season so he can recover fully and attack 2026. That might be the wisest move given his backdrop coming off an ACL tear, missing the entire offseason program, camp, preseason and a big chunk of the regular season.
(Game stats- Snaps: 36, Total Tackles: 6 TFL: 0, Sacks: 0)
James finally looked like a real part of the defensive plan against Washington, not just a special-teams body. He played 36 defensive snaps, his heaviest load in weeks, and he responded with six total tackles, tied among Dallas’ leaders on the night. He didn’t register a sack, tackle for loss, or any takeaways, and he stayed out of the penalty column, so his stat line is all about volume rather than splash. The Commanders ran only 41 offensive plays but still churned out 138 rushing yards thanks in large part to Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s 72-yard touchdown. James spent most of the evening in clean-up mode by fitting inside runs, rallying to Johnson’s checkdowns and helping get bodies on the ground after chunk gains rather than creating those big negative plays himself.
It’s fair to be harsh on the linebacker group as a whole, especially Kenneth Murray, and calling the heavy dose of Murray and James ugly against the run is also a fair criticism as Washington found creases between the tackles. On film, it’s a mixed bag for James, he was active and around the ball, but there were snaps where he got caught in traffic or arrived a beat late on cutbacks, contributing to a run defense that gave up far too much on a low play count. At the same time, this game underlined why Dallas has been nudging his role upward as he handled a starter-level snap share without blowing assignments, and his six stops push his season totals into genuine starter territory.
The best way to call James’ game is it was a busy but imperfect outing. James was heavily involved, did enough to look like a viable long-term piece, but he was also part of a front seven that made Washington’s ground game look more efficient than it should have.
(Game stats- Snaps: 18, Total Tackles: 1
*Snap count are all special team snaps*
Clark’s Christmas Day against Washington was another quiet but functional special-teams outing. He didn’t log any defensive snaps, with his entire workload coming in the kicking game as a core coverage and return-unit player. On those snaps he made one tackle and didn’t factor into any of the big swings. For a depth safety in his role, that kind of you didn’t notice him performance is basically neutral. He did his assignment work on special teams, avoided hurting the Cowboys in a game where field position and explosive runs were already a problem, but didn’t provide the kind of momentum-changing play that would jump off the tape going into 2026.
(Game stats- Snaps: 15, Total Tackles: 0)
*Snap count include special team snaps*
Bridges played almost entirely on special teams, with just a tiny glimpse of him on defense. He logged the bulk of his work on the kicking units, running lanes, taking on blocks and doing the dirty work that doesn’t show up much in the box score but matters for field position and consistency. On defense he saw only two snaps, essentially a cameo as an emergency outside corner rather than a true part of the game plan, and he didn’t figure in any major targets or tackles on those plays. Bridges handled his special-teams role and gave Dallas a reliable back-end option without ever having the kind of exposure that would define the game one way or the other.
TACOMA, Wash. (HawaiiNewsNow) – Colleagues and loved ones gathered to honor the life and service of Mililani High School graduate Tara-Marysa Guting, 29, who died in the line of duty as a trooper in Washington State.
Tara-Marysa’s older sister, Shannen Tanaka, spoke at the funeral.
“Tara, although our heart aches with your absence, we know you did not leave us behind. You remain bound to us by love that does not end. You remain just beyond our sight until the day we are able to be together again. We love you,” Tanaka said.
She delivered an emotional eulogy as she stood at the podium with siblings Troy and Ariana Hirata at Saturday’s memorial service.
“I don’t know how familiar you all are with the movie Lilo and Stitch, but there’s a quote that says Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. It was a sentiment that Tara lived by,” her sister said. “Ohana, in its deepest sense, is unconditional love, support and inclusion. It reaches beyond blood.”
The Washington State Patrol Trooper was struck and killed while responding to a crash in Tacoma.
The 2014 Mililani graduate leaves behind her husband Tim, who serves as a Deputy State Fire Marshal at the Washington State Patrol Fire Training Academy.
Together they had four pets.
Tara-Marysa was one of many first responders in her family, including her brother-in-law Devin Tanaka.
DEVIN TANAKA, TARA’S BROTHER IN LAW>
“Tara’s passing is a devastating loss to a family who knows all too well both the rewards and risk of public service,” Devin Tanaka said. “We will never forget Tara, nor the 33 heroes that died members serving the State of Washington State Patrol.”
Friends and coworkers say Tara-Marysa left an impact on everyone she met.
“Tara you were my safe place, you made the world feel softer, more funny and exceedingly more manageable just by being in it, and even though I don’t know how to exist in a world where I can’t sit next to you on that couch again, I do know this, your love did not leave with you,” said Lily Guerrero, Tara-Marysa’s best friend.
One of her co-workers said, “It felt like every other day she was bringing some sort of gift or Hawaiian snack to literally every person in the building where we worked just to spread a little bit of joy.”
The funeral ended with a solemn salute for Guting.
She was the 34th person to die in the line of duty in the 105-year history of the Washington State Patrol.
Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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