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Caps Down Kings, 4-3; Dylan Strome Scores 15th Goal Of The Season

By Jon Sorensen·

Photo: X/@Capitals

The Washington Capitals were looking to put an end to their brief two-game losing streak against a Los Angeles Kings team that has struggled in their own rights, coming into the district losing four straight.

It was a pretty even contest and each team had its fair share of chances and sustained pressure. John Carlson scored a late regulation goal with under a minute to go to give the Capitals a huge two points.

A big story coming into Sunday’s affair was whether or not Alex Ovechkin would suit up. Ovechkin was injured against the Carolina Hurricanes after getting tangled up with Hurricanes forward Jordan Staal. He played the rest of the game and was a game-time decision. He ended up playing.

LINES AND PAIRINGS

Alex Ovechkin – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
Max Pacioretty – Dylan Strome – Hendrix Lapierre
Aliaksei Protas – Connor McMichael – Anthony Mantha
Beck Malenstyn – Nic Dowd – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Martin Fehervary – John Carlson
Trevor van Riemsdyk – Nick Jensen
Joel Edmundson – Ethan Bear

Darcy Kuemper
Hunter Shepard

Scratched: Rasmus Sandin, Alex Alexeyev, Matthew Phillips, T.J. Oshie, Sonny Milano, Charlie Lindgren, Nicklas Backstrom

PERIOD 1

There was no score in the first period. The Kings outshot the Capitals for the first few minutes of the period, but Washington started to settle in as the period went on. The Capitals had a power play. Darcy Kuemper was solid in the first period coming up with some really good saves.

The Caps outshot the Kings 12-11 in the opening stanza.

PERIOD 2

Nic Dowd gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead on a two-on-one rush with Nicolas Aube-Kubel. John Carlson had the secondary helper at 4:22. It was Dowd’s sixth goal of the campaign.

The Kings got their second power play of the game and Adrian Kempe tied the game with a one-timer from the far circle. The puck glanced off of Martin Fehervary and into the back of the net. Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar had the helpers at 7:12.

The Kings continued to pile on the pressure and eventually got rewarded. Kevin Fiala followed up on a rebound to give LA a 2-1 lead at 13:02. Phillip Danault and Mikey Anderson had the helpers.

Spencer Carbery switched up the top line, putting a trio of Ovechkin, Dylan Strome and Max Pacioretty. They converted on their first shift forcing a defensive zone turnover and Strome finished a give-and-go sequence with Ovechkin to tie the game at two. Pacioretty earned his first point as a Capital with the secondary assist on the play at 15:35.

The Caps were heavily outshot 18-11 in the middle frame.

PERIOD 3

Connor McMichael took an early high-sticking penalty and Fiala scored to make it 3-2 LA just five seconds into the man-advantage. Carlson sent the puck behind the net but Quinton Byfield intercepted it and fed it to a wide-open Fiala at 1:01.

Aube-Kubel earned his second point of the game with a seeing-eye shot to the far side of Cam Talbot, tying the game at three at 8:36. Dowd had the only assist on the play.

With 52.9 seconds left in regulation, Carlson threw a long-range slapshot from the point and it beat Talbot top shelf. Beck Malenstyn and Aube-Kubel had the assists.

UP NEXT

The Capitals won’t be back in action until Thursday, Jan. 11, when they take on the Seattle Kraken for the first time this season.

SHAVINGS

  • The line of Nic Dowd (2g-3a–5p), Beck Malenstyn (2g-2a–4p) and Nicolas Aube-Kubel (1g-3a – 4p) has recorded 13 points over Washington’s last five games.
  • John Carlson scored his 28th career game-winning goal with with 53 seconds remaining in the third period to give the Capitals a 4-3 win. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, Carlson ranks second among NHL defensemen in assists (298) and third in points (380).
  • With his goal tonight, John Carlson has tied Sergei Gonchar (144g) for the second-most goals by a defenseman in franchise history. Carlson now only trails Kevin Hatcher (149g).
  • Nicolas Aube-Kubel was credited with the secondary assist on Carlson’s game-winning goal, his third point of the game. With a goal and two assists this afternoon, Aube-Kubel recorded his first career three-point game.

By Jacob Cheris

Capitals Postgame Audio

Forward Dylan Strome

Forward Nic Dowd

Defenseman John Carlson

Head coach Spencer Carbery