Stars visit Capitals with goaltending edge

The Dallas Stars (8-5-1) visit the Washington Capitals (8-5) Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, with the game airing on ESPN+. Dallas has built its record on defense, allowing roughly 2.1 goals per game, but its offense has produced only about 2.6; Washington scores around 3.4 per game but has allowed about 3.2 and is coming off a 5-1 loss to Minnesota. Dallas appears to have the goaltending edge: Jake Oettinger is 7-3-1 with a 1.62 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage, while Washington’s Logan Thompson is 5-4-0 with a .898 save percentage. The teams enter with similar recent records, and Dallas is 3-1-1 on the road; both sides have notable absences, including Stars forward Matt Duchene and Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin.