The Washington Capitals will host the early season class of the NHL's Western Conference, the Dallas Stars, on Tuesday night at Verizon Center. The Stars success is certainly a surprise in this first quarter of the 2011-12 season. After failing to make the playoffs last year, they are the first team to ten wins in the entire league, and only the Pittsburgh Penguins currently have more points. It's the only time the Caps face Dallas this season and is certainly the highlight of Washington's schedule this week.
The Capitals will finish the week with a home-and-home weekend series with the New Jersey Devils. The Caps travel to Jersey on Friday night and then return to the Verizon Center on Saturday night to face the Devils. After getting Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur back just last week, the Devils, 6-5 this season, may be without star Ilya Kovalchuk this weekend. Kovalchuk has missed two games in a row and is unlikely to play Tuesday night. Both weekend games will be televised nationally on the NHL Network.
Tuesday 11/8 Washington vs. Dallas - 7:00 PM CSN
Friday 11/11 Washington at New Jersey - 7:00 PM CSN
Saturday 11/12 Washington vs. New Jersey - 7:00 PM CSN
The Capitals complete schedule can be found here. For continuing Caps coverage, visit Japers' Rink.