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(Sports Network) - The Washington Capitals were struggling heading into the Olympic break but the NHL's point leaders seemed to regain their swagger last week.

The Caps will shoot for a fourth straight victory tonight, when they host the Dallas Stars at Verizon Center.

Washington set a franchise record with 14 straight wins from January 13- February 7, but then lost its last three tests before the Winter Games. Since the league returned to action last week, however, Washington has been a perfect 3-0.

Washington has also won a club-record 13 straight on home ice and has a superb 25-3-3 record as the host this season. The Capitals' last loss in DC came December 28 against Carolina.

The Capitals lead the Eastern Conference and the NHL with 96 points. They are also 30-points ahead of Atlanta for first place in the Southeast Division.

Washington is coming off Saturday's victory in a defensive battle against the visiting New York Rangers. Jose Theodore stopped all 30 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season, leading the Capitals to the 2-0 win at Verizon Center.

Eric Fehr and Eric Belanger lit the lamp for the Capitals.

"You need to win games 2-0, 2-1, when you're in the playoffs," said Theodore. "We played really well. We never panicked and never gave them much, especially in the third."

Washington failed to score at least three goals for the first time since January 2, a streak of 23 consecutive games. It was two off the Caps' franchise record of 25 straight games scoring at least three times, originally set from December 22, 1984-February 14, 1985.

Capitals superstar winger Alex Ovechkin also failed to register a point for the third time in his last four games. He is still leading the NHL with 90 points, but has just one assist in his last four outings.

The Stars, meanwhile, have lost three straight games and that slide is not helping the club's playoff chances. Dallas, which missed the postseason last year, is currently six points out of playoff berth in the West.

Dallas was dealt a decisive loss Saturday in Pittsburgh as Sidney Crosby lit the lamp twice and collected an assist to lift the Penguins to the 6-3 win at Mellon Arena.

Loui Eriksson, Mike Ribeiro and Brandon Segal each had a goal for Dallas. Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen, making his first start since being acquired from Atlanta in February and first start overall since last April 11, stopped 28 shots in defeat. Lehtonen missed most of the 2009-10 campaign while recovering from offseason back surgery.

Marty Turco could get the start tonight as the Stars try to ease Lehtonen back into the regular grind of an NHL season.

Tonight marks the middle test of a three-game road trip for the Stars, who are just 10-16-7 as the guest this year. Dallas will cap the swing Wednesday in Buffalo.

The Caps and Stars are meeting for the only time this season. Washington notched an overtime win in Dallas last season. That snapped a three-game losing streak in the series for the Capitals.