Dallas @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 4, 2019 ) Washington 1, Dallas 2

The Washington Capitals will welcome a familiar face to the lineup on Tuesday when they complete a two-game homestand against the Dallas Stars. Evgeny Kuznetsov, who was suspended for the first three games of the season by the NHL for "inappropriate conduct," will join a Capitals' team that posted a 2-0-1 mark despite mustering just seven goals in his absence.

"It's not easy to watch the games from upstairs or on the TV," Kuznetsov said on Monday. "... When you miss a couple games, you start to realize how much easier and much better, much cooler, (it is) to play the hockey than to be in the workout area." The 27-year-old is expected to resume his role on the second line with Jakub Vrana and T.J. Oshie, both of whom have recorded two goals and an assist with traditional third-line center Lars Eller. Dallas, which has scored one fewer goal than Washington, has lost all three of its one-goal decisions to limp to its worst three-game start since 1998 -- when the franchise was located in Minnesota. "We're in tight games and we're not a high-scoring team, so we're going to have to win these games, so of course it's frustrating," Mattias Janmark said following Sunday's 4-3 loss to Detroit. "There's things we've got to do better to end up on the right side."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), NBCS Washington

ABOUT THE STARS (0-3-0): Captain Jamie Benn had little issue pinpointing the primary reason for his team's struggles in its contest, as Dallas spent a considerable amount of time in the penalty box after being whistled for eight infractions. "We just have to be better than this," the 30-year-old Benn said. "We can't take that many penalties against a good young team, especially with that kind of speed." The Stars hope to bounce back versus the Capitals, against whom they posted a pair of overtime wins to sweep last season's series.

ABOUT THE CAPITALS (2-0-1): While Dallas had its troubles staying out of the box in its last outing, Washington failed to convert on all six power-play opportunities in its 3-2 overtime loss to Carolina on Saturday. "You can't go 0-for-6 and then expect to have the outcome you want," Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. "I thought their penalty kill worked extremely hard, and were able to come up with more puck battles than we were, and our entries weren't clean." Oshie, who has one of Washington's two power-play goals this season, has 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) and a plus-17 rating in 30 career games versus Dallas.

OVERTIME

1. Dallas C Tyler Seguin has scored 11 times in 23 career contests versus Washington, including completing a two-goal performance in overtime of a 2-1 victory on Jan. 4.

2. Capitals G Braden Holtby owns a 2-4-1 mark with a 4.02 goals-against average in eight career appearances (seven starts) versus the Stars.

3. Dallas LW Roope Hintz has scored a team-leading three goals on five shots this season.

PREDICTION: Stars 4, Capitals 2