Michal Kempny scored the tie-breaking goal, and Alex Ovechkin added an insurance marker less than two minutes later in the third period as the Washington Capitals rallied for a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over the visiting Detroit Red Wings on Friday.

Kempny had not scored a goal this season before the Capitals' last game, a victory over his former team (Chicago). He got his second goal in two games on a high slap shot from near the left point at the 6:38 mark of the third period.

Ovechkin then made it 3-1 on a blast from the right circle at the end of a rush at the 8:34 mark. He finished the game with one goal and one assist.

Goalie Braden Holtby finished with 31 saves, including a few on Detroit breakaways that kept Washington in the game and let the Capitals rally after a very slow start.

The Capitals have won a season-high four straight games. They had not won more than two in a row before this streak.

Detroit had gone 9-2 in its last 11 games before this game, and the loss ended a two-game winning streak for the Red Wings.

Andreas Athanasiou gave the Red Wings an early lead right after their power-play expired. He took a quick pass from Thomas Vanek and flipped a shot past Holtby from the edge of the left circle 8:46 into the game.

For Vanek, that was career assist number 400, and Athanasiou has scored in five of the team's last seven games.

The Red Wings held a 1-0 lead after one period and had a 14-5 edge in shots, even though the Capitals came up with a bunch of scoring chances in the final five minutes of the opening period.

Washington came up with several more scoring opportunities in the second period and tied the game when Tom Wilson (one goal, one assist) snapped a shot past goalie Jonathan Bernier with 7:47 left in the period.

Nicklas Backstrom found Wilson between the circles and made a pass that set up the right wing perfectly. Ovechkin earned the second assist on the play.

--Field Level Media