Dubois, Carlson blanked, ice-cold power play and more: 3 reasons why Washington Capitals lost 3-1 to Dallas Stars

The Washington Capitals lost a frustrating 3-1 game against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Monday night. The Capitals got an early lead they could not hold. The Stars fought back and took the all-important two points.

Roope Hintz had two goals for Dallas with Lian Bichsel adding the other. Dylan Strome scored for the Washington Capitals. The loss snapped the Capitals’ four-game winning streak.

Here’s a closer look at three reasons why Washington lost to Dallas on Monday night.

3 reasons why Washington Capitals lost 3-1 to Dallas Stars

#3. Ice-cold power play

The Washington Capitals went 0-for-4 on the power play. In particular, the Capitals got a power play opportunity midway through the third period on a tripping call against Ilya Lyubushkin.

That chance with the man advantage could have tied the game for the Capitals. Instead, Roope Hintz scored at 14:58 of the third to ice the win for Dallas.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Stars went 1-for-2 on the power play. Hintz got his 12th of the season in the second, scoring on the Stars’ first power play opportunity.

In the end, it was a subpar night for the Capitals’ special teams. Had the special teams done their job, the game’s outcome could have been significantly different.

#2. Capitals could not solve Jake Oettinger

Jake Oettinger was on top of his game on Monday night. He stopped 25 of 26 shots, keeping Dallas in the game all night long.

Meanwhile, Washington outshot Dallas 26-24. However, the Capitals ran into a hot goalie. That situation put them in a tough spot as they could not come back into the game. While Oettinger didn’t exactly steal the game for Dallas, he played well enough for Dallas to win a game they probably shouldn’t have.

#1. Top stars went blank on the night

The Washington Capitals’ top players struggled to score against a tight-checking Dallas team. Dylan Strome got the Caps’ lone goal.

Beyond that, Connor McMichael, Lars Eller, Pierre-Luc Dubois and John Carlson all went blank on the night. They could not generate enough offense to get past the Stars’ stingy defense.

Furthermore, the Capitals’ depth scoring was nowhere to be found on the night. Instead of having the bottom six step up during the game, the bottom six didn’t account for much, with players like Hendrix Lapierre playing a little over seven minutes on the night.

In a game such as this one, the Capitals could have used Alex Ovechkin. However, Ovechkin is still out with a lower-body injury.

The Capitals will have little time to turn things around as they take on the Chicago Blackhawks next at United Center on Tuesday.