What to watch for: Stars vs Capitals

Trevor Daley’s own goals-Hey he jinxed it, right?

Team PEI, doing work- There are only two active players from Prince Edward Island in the NHL right now.  Oddly enough, they both don the same uniform.  In an off year for the Stars, Steve Ott and Brad Richards are both enjoying productive seasons.  Ott has 21 PIM in his past 6 games and has accumulated 105 this season.  Richards is well on his way to have his best offensive year since his 90-point year with Tampa Bay in 2006.  He is a deadly play-maker with the puck.  One of his weaknesses is playing in his own zone.  He doesn’t really understand this whole“defense” concept.

The Underachievement of Fabian Brunnstrom – Remember this guy?  I bet you thought you were so cool when you added him to your fantasy team after this happened.  Well the undrafted Swede has unsurprisingly caught the sophomore slump.  Injuries, dwindling ice time, and even trade rumors have all hurt Brunnstrom’s production this season.  Even if he does play, don’t expect much: Brunnstrom has one assist and just four shots in the past 11 road games.

Busch-league goaltending – Kari Lehtonen was supposed to fix the Stars’ goaltending, not make it worse.  In his two appearances (one start, one in relief), Kari has allowed eight goals in 98 minutes.  That comes out to a 4.90 GAA with a .840 save percentage.  That’s not helping his cause for the 2014 games.

A glimpse at the man, the legend, the Facebook friend – Mike Modano everyone!  I have to admit, I got a little giddy when my Twitter feed was blowing up with “Modano to the Caps OMG!” rumors at the trade deadline.  There are very few players in the NHL who have more class than Modano.  It will be a treat to watch the American with the most goals and the most points play at the Verizon Center for what is most likely his last appearance in the District.

Tags: brunnstrom, daley, lehtonen, modano, ott, Pregame, richards, stars