Stars vs. Capitals Recap: Leonard and Tuch Shot Props Cash

The Dallas Stars beat the Washington Capitals 6-5 in regulation, and it was closer at the horn than it looked for most of the night. Dallas built a 4-0 lead by 5:43 of the 2nd behind a Jason Robertson hat trick, then had to hold on as Washington scored four of the last five goals. Ryan Leonard's goal at 18:58 of the 3rd made it 6-5, but the Capitals ran out of time. Washington outshot Dallas 25-22, and both teams scored on the power play: Dallas had 1 goal on 2 chances and Washington had 2 on 3. Two DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game, both Washington shot props.

What cashed

Ryan Leonard 2+ shots on goal (-190 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Leonard had put up 2+ shots on goal in all 13 games he had played this season, averaging 2.7 over his last 10. We trusted that floor. - What happened: Leonard finished with 2 shots on goal, 1 goal and 1 assist in 12:56 (1:48 on the power play), plus 3 hits. That cleared the 1.5 line by 0.5. He set up Boone Jenner's goal at 16:58 of the 2nd, and one of his two shots was the snap shot that beat Jake Oettinger at 18:58 of the 3rd to cut the lead to one. - Worth watching: He got there on a modest 12:56 of ice time, so the volume held up even without a big minutes load. The price was steep at -190, so the angle is worth another look mainly when he keeps his power-play time.

Alex Tuch 2+ shots on goal (-220 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Tuch had 2+ shots in 11 of his 13 games this season and in 8 of his last 10. We trusted that steady volume. - What happened: Tuch finished with 2 shots on goal in 18:34, the most ice time of any Washington forward. He logged 1:39 on the power play and 2:25 on the penalty kill, with 2 hits. That cleared the 1.5 line by 0.5. He did not score or pick up a point on the night. - Worth watching: His usage in all situations is what keeps this prop alive even on a quiet scoring night. At -220 there is not much value in the price, so it fits best as a leg rather than a stand-alone bet.

How the game played out

Joel Kiviranta opened the scoring at 8:56 of the 1st. Robertson then scored three times in the first 5:43 of the 2nd, starting with a power-play goal 23 seconds in. Logan Thompson allowed four goals on 11 shots in 25:17 for Washington before Charlie Lindgren took over and made 9 saves on 11 shots. The Capitals answered with power-play goals from Jordan Kyrou and Jakob Chychrun in the 2nd, and Justin Sourdif and Leonard scored in the 3rd. Oettinger went the full 60:00 and made 20 saves on 25 shots.

Trends to watch

• Robertson finished with 3 goals, 1 assist and 5 shots on goal in 17:05, with 3:25 on the power play. That is the heaviest power-play role on the Dallas side.
• The Washington skaters on the power-play goals did real damage: Dylan Strome had 2 assists and 3 shots, Kyrou had a goal and 2 assists, and Chychrun had a goal, an assist and 5 shots in 26:50.
• Oettinger faced 25 shots and allowed five goals, two of them on the Washington power play. At the other end, the 22 Dallas shots were split evenly, 11 each for Thompson and Lindgren.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. For more, see all NHL recaps, our player prop guide and how American odds work.