Match date: 4 November 2026.
Final score: Capitals 5, Stars 6.
The Stars built a four-goal cushion, then had to withstand a fierce late Capitals push to take a 6-5 win on 4 November. J. Robertson supplied the defining burst, scoring three times in 5:20 early in the second period and adding an assist in a four-point night.
Game Story
J. Kiviranta gave Dallas the first-period lead at 08:56, finishing with R. Faksa and T. Harley credited with the assists. The Stars then seized control immediately after the restart.
J. Robertson struck 23 seconds into the second period from W. Johnston and R. Hintz, added his second at 03:18 with A. Hyry and T. Myers assisting, and completed the hat-trick at 05:43. T. Harley and R. Hintz set up the third, which put Dallas 4-0 ahead.
The Capitals finally found a reply through J. Kyrou at 11:00, assisted by D. Strome and C. Hutson, but M. Rantanen restored a four-goal margin at 14:50. W. Johnston and J. Benn supplied the assists.
Washington refused to let the game drift away. B. Jenner scored at 16:58 from R. Leonard and M. Fehérváry, before J. Chychrun made it 5-3 with 30 seconds left in the period. D. Strome and J. Kyrou had the assists on that goal.
R. Hintz gave the Stars breathing room 1:23 into the third, converting from E. Lindell and J. Robertson for 6-3. Yet the Capitals continued to press. J. Sourdif scored at 12:55, assisted by A. Beauvillier and I. Protas, and R. Leonard cut the deficit to one with 1:02 remaining, with J. Kyrou and J. Chychrun helping on the final goal. Dallas saw out the remaining seconds to keep the lead they had earned during Robertson's second-period surge.
Turning Point
J. Robertson's third goal at 05:43 of the second period was the decisive sequence's high point. It completed his hat-trick, made the score 4-0 and gave Dallas enough of a margin to absorb Washington's five-goal response.
Standout Performers
J. Robertson drove the Stars with three goals and an assist. His hat-trick came in the opening 5:20 of the second period, and he later assisted R. Hintz's third-period goal. R. Hintz added a goal and two assists, while J. Kyrou led the Capitals' response with a goal and two assists. J. Chychrun recorded a goal and an assist, including the late second-period goal that gave Washington a route back into the contest.
Tactical Observations
This was a game of changing margins rather than sustained control from start to finish. Dallas turned a 1-0 first-period lead into 4-0 through the opening minutes of the second, with Robertson responsible for three of those goals. Washington then scored three of the final four goals of the middle period, only for Hintz to extend the Stars' lead again early in the third.
The Capitals outshot the Stars 25-22, but the shot total did not reflect how much early scoreboard damage Dallas had done. J. Oettinger made 20 saves for the Stars. Washington used both L. Thompson, who made seven saves on 11 shots in 25:17, and C. Lindgren, who stopped nine of 11 in 31:49. The late Capitals goals made the finish uncomfortable, but Dallas had created enough separation before the final push.
Coach Mark Comment
The awkward moment for Washington came 1:23 into the third. They had done the hard part of pulling 5-1 back to 5-3 before the second intermission, only to concede R. Hintz's goal almost straight away. That can flatten a comeback because the players who have just earned some daylight are suddenly staring at a three-goal gap again. To their credit, the Capitals still found two more goals, including R. Leonard's with 1:02 left. It did not change the result, but it stopped the night becoming a simple story of Dallas running away with it.
What It Means
Dallas leave with a one-goal win built on a six-goal attacking display, with J. Robertson's four points at its centre. Washington's five goals and late pressure ensured the Stars had to defend their early work until the final horn.
What Comes Next
The Stars will want to carry the scoring sharpness that produced their early second-period burst, while the Capitals are left with the immediate question of how to turn a spirited late chase into a result.