Stars beat the Capitals 4-1 to end their losing streak at 6 games

WASHINGTON (AP) — Radek Faksa scored a shorthanded goal, Casey DeSmith made 23 saves and the Dallas Stars ended their losing streak at six games by defeating the Washington Capitals 4-1 on Wednesday night.

The Stars bounced back from a 6-3 drubbing at Carolina 24 hours earlier that included the Hurricanes chasing U.S. Olympic goaltender Jake Oettinger, winning for the first time since Dec. 21.

Faksa put Dallas up 1-0 just over three minutes in with Ilya Lyubushkin in the penalty box for holding, cashing in on his own rebound off Washington netminder Logan Thompson. Early in the second period, Canadian Olympic defenseman Thomas Harley made the play to set up Sam Steel's net-front tap-in past Thompson

Steel assisted on Wyatt Johnston's goal, his 24th of the season, with 6:29 left in regulation. Roope Hintz sealed it with an empty-netter with 18.6 seconds remaining.

Before that, Alex Ovechkin scored his 915th career goal, adding to his NHL record total, with 2:19 left and Thompson pulled for an extra attacker. It was Ovechkin's 18th goal of the season at age 40.

Thompson, also named to Canada's team for the upcoming Games in Milan, allowed three goals on 36 shots. Washington was playing without injured forwards Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas.

The Capitals, who were coming off beating Anaheim 7-4 on Monday night, have lost three of four and six of their past nine games.

Stars: Visit the San Jose Sharks on Saturday to begin a four-game Western swing that includes three stops in California and the last at Utah.

Capitals: Visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) skates with the puck against Dallas Stars center Colin Blackwell (15) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Stars center Radek Faksa (12) celebrates his goal with center Colin Blackwell (15) and defenseman Esa Lindell (23) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Stars center Sam Steel (18) scores a goal past Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson (48) and defenseman John Carlson (74) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Stars goaltender Casey Desmith (1) and Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin (38) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Dallas Stars center Radek Faksa (12) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations, citing the Second Amendment and recent shootings at bases across the country.

In a video posted to X, Hegseth said he is signing a memo that will direct base commanders to allow requests for troops to carry privately owned firearms “with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection.”

He said any denial of a service member's request must be explained in detail and in writing.

“Effectively, our bases across the country were gun-free zones,” Hegseth said. "Unless you're training or unless you are a military policeman, you couldn't carry, you couldn't bring your own firearm for your own personal protection onto post."

Questions about why service members lacked access to weapons have often emerged following shootings on the nation's military bases. Such shootings have ranged from isolated events between service members to mass casualty events, such as the shootings by an Army psychiatrist at Texas’ Ford Hood in 2009 that left 13 people dead.

Hegseth cited some of the events in his video, including a shooting that injured five soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia last year. Officials said the shooter, an Army sergeant who worked at the base, used his personal handgun before he was tackled by fellow soldiers and arrested.

“In these instances, minutes are a lifetime,” Hegseth said. “And our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count.”

Defense Department policy has prohibited military personnel from carrying personal weapons on base without permission from a senior commander, with strict protocol for how the firearms must be stored.

Typically, military personnel must officially check their guns out of secure storage to go to on-base hunting areas or shooting ranges, then check all firearms back in promptly after their sanctioned use. Military police are often the only armed personnel on base, outside of shooting ranges, hunting areas or in training, where soldiers can wield their service weapons without ammunition.

Tanya Schardt, senior counsel at the Brady gun violence prevention organization, said in a statement that Defense Department leaders and the military’s top brass have opposed relaxing the current policy, which was originally enacted under President George H.W. Bush.

“Our military installations are among the most guarded, protected properties in the world, and they’ve never been ‘gun-free zones,’” Schardt said. “If there is a problem with violent crime on these installations, then the Secretary of Defense has an obligation to alert the American people and describe how he’s working to prevent that crime."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)