STARS RALLY TO BEAT CAPITALS IN OVERTIME

Until the third period of Monday’s game between the Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars it looked to be another workmanlike victory for the team with the NHL’s best record.
The Caps took a 2-0 lead into the final period, only to see the Stars erupt for three unanswered goals.  Alex Ovechkin tied the score late in the contest and sent it to overtime, where the Stars managed to prevail in the shootout for a 4-3 victory.  It was only the Capitals seventh loss at home this season with only three of those defeats coming in regulation.

NHL hockey betting enthusiasts who had backed the visiting Stars as a whopping +250 underdog were enriched significantly by the victory.  Sports betting devotees who had laid the -280 on the home team hopefully learned a valuable lesson about the inadvisability to playing big favorites in the NHL.  The 7 combined goals just managed to make it over the posted total of 6’.  6 of the last 8 games between the Stars and Capitals in Washington have gone OVER the total.

Much of the credit for the victory went to Stars’ goalie Marty Turco, who withstood a barrage of 52 Washington shots by making 49 saves.  After the game, head coach Marc Crawford paid tribute to his netminder:

"It's not going to be every night that your goalie's going to wear a mask and steal a game for you. We needed a great goaltending performance tonight, and Marty was absolutely terrific. We love the fact that he fought and fought and fought and fought -- and got a payoff.”

Turco’s numbers don’t include his shootout performance, where he stopped four of five Washington shots including those of Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.  Despite his heroics, Turco was happier with the fact his team won the game:

"I don't care if I see one shot. It was all about the win. We can use it to know we cannot only play with anybody, but win."

Turco’s teammate Brad Richards disagreed with his modest assessment:

"When you come into a team with that much confidence, and that good in this building, I don't mind saying that Turco has to be our best player probably on those nights. We don't have the talent to match up with them, line-for-line and player-for-player. Some nights, it should be called 'goalie' not 'hockey."

Despite the loss, Washington maintains a huge lead in the NHL Eastern Conference standings.  They lead second place  Pittsburgh by 13 points.  Their only real concern at this stage is the President’s’ Trophy race for the NHL’s best overall record.  Washington leads the Western Conference’s top team, the San Jose Sharks, by four points and enjoys a six point margin over second place Chicago.