Absolutely zero luck in a defeat to Dallas: Stars beat Capitals 1-0
The Washington Capitals ventured west for a quick one-game road trip to meet the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night. With captain Alex Ovechkin still looking for career goal number 900, could the Caps bounce back from a very bad loss on home ice to the Ottawa Senators?
No scoring from either team within the first 20 minutes. Tyler Seguin got some help from Martin Fehervary to put the Stars up 1-0 on a power play.
Stars beat Capitals 1-0
- Very even first period and a good start to a road game, especially after getting demolished at Capital One Arena over the weekend. I didn’t love how the last 30 seconds of the first frame went, but Logan Thompson was up to the task on a couple of really tough deflection saves. The penalty kill also looked very good.
- Now, the Capitals were made to use their penalty kill because the referees decided to buy two blatant dives in a row from the Stars. I am zero percent shocked that one of tonight’s referees was Francis Charron, aka evil TJ Oshie. The NHL needs to penalize simulation more often.
- Can we talk about ESPN for a second? I think the general idea of the Frozen Frenzy stuff is quite cool, but the way they seem to have no backup plan for games that go to overtime probably isn’t great. The network is very lucky that Alex Ovechkin did not score number 900 while the game was on ESPNews or in split screen with that Penguins-Flyers shootout. Also, can we get an honest listing of the puck drop time? 8:50 pm is not 8:30 pm.
- Really excellent second period overall as the Capitals hemmed the Stars in on countless shifts. They just could not buy a bounce, and Jake Oettinger was really aggressive and out on top of his crease to make some key stops. The process was great, though. Far, far, far better than in the previous two games.
- Also, did I say two dives in a row earlier? Well, you can make it three after Radek Faksa threw himself to the ice early in the second. Unfortunately, the Stars actually put a goal away on the ensuing power play this time. The refs then clearly gave the Capitals a make-up call soon after and then put their whistles away entirely when the Caps started dominating play. Love that.
- The power play is still an issue. The mini hot streak they went on is starting to look like it was a mirage. I hate the two-defensemen look and would really like to see more speed injected into that top unit. Just needs to be better all around.
- Hendrix Lapierre looked phenomenal to me all night. He rang the crossbar and was just all around the puck and using his elite skating to his advantage. Really would love to see him just take off from here and lock down a spot on this team.
- The Capitals kept the Stars without a shot for over 23 minutes in the second and third periods. You can’t do much else. They just had zero puck luck. Nothing you can do.
- Three posts, three times beating Oettinger. The hockey gods were taking some sort of revenge for something.
- Logan Thompson is one of the best goaltenders in the league. In his 50th career start with the Capitals, he just needed some run support and got beaten by a brutal deflection from his own defenseman.
The Capitals will fly back home and have a full day off on Wednesday. They’ll next be back in action at Capital One Arena against the New York Islanders on Friday night.
Cowboys’ Jerry Jones Drops Stunning Update on Trevon Diggs
Well, this was quite the twist. Back on the Thursday before the Cowboys beat the Commanders, the team announced that star cornerback Trevon Diggs had suffered a knock on the head at his home, and would be out with a concussion. That was followed by the team ruling Diggs out for Week 8 against the Broncos, and, surprisingly, putting him on the injured reserve.
The surprise there was that it’s not typical for NFL teams to put players with concussions on the IR, because the IR requires players to sit out four weeks under league rules. Because concussions are unpredictable, the presumption is the player can return before the four-week mark.
After Week 8’s loss in Denver, though, owner Jerry Jones revealed that it was Diggs’ knee that was the cause of him being put on injured reserve, not the concussion. That made some sense–Diggs had a graft surgery in January to bolster the ligaments in his left knee, which he’d torn in 2023 but had not fully healed correctly.
Trevon Diggs ‘Other Knee Is Injured’
The presumption, then, was that Diggs was on the IR because he returned too quickly from the January surgery. That is, until team Jones spoke on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning. He made an eye-opening revelation–that Diggs’ right knee is the problem, not his left knee.
Said Jones: “Diggs’ biggest problem is he is injured and it’s not the same knee as he has been doing his rehab with. That’s his No. 1 challenge, unfortunately, he has got a handful of challenges here that are physical. That’s why he is the status he has got today.”
Jones was asked for clarification, that it was not Diggs’ left knee that was the problem.
“No, not at all. It’s his other knee that’s injured, not his reconstructed knee,” Jones said.
Michael Reaves/GettyOwner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys Have Seen Trevon Diggs Struggle This Season
Diggs has not been good at all this season, even when healthy. He’s yielded a 148.7 passer rating when he is targeted, a major leap for a guy who had been allowing a career passer rating of 77.2.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed Diggs’ injury on Monday, saying he hopes that Diggs returns, hopefully for a playoff push.
“The knee has been problematic throughout the season. … He’s a really good player and we just want to get him back and get him healthy and to be able to help us finish strong, because we feel like this thing’s going to come down to the end of the season,” Schottenheimer said.
Jones was asked on Tuesday whether Diggs had played his final game with the Cowboys. “I don’t see that today at all,” he said.
Cowboys Unsure at NFL Trade Deadline
Jones was also asked about the upcoming NFL trade deadline which is just a week away. The Cowboys were linked this weekend to defensive stars Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson. Jones downplayed those reports.
“It’s all of that. Because it’s all of that,” Jones said when asked about possible deals. “Nobody said there was a deal. There hasn’t been anything close to a deal.”
His final verdict on the likelihood of a trade: “I don’t know if we will or not.”
