Evgeny Kuznetsov finished with two goals and two assists while linemate Alex Ovechkin added one goal and two assists as the Washington Capitals defeated the visiting Los Angeles Kings 6-4 Monday night.
Washington completed a 4-1-1 homestand while Los Angeles closed out a 3-2-1 road trip. The teams will meet again Feb. 18 in California.
Ovechkin and Los Angeles' Austin Wagner traded first-period goals before the Capitals' Brett Connolly and the Kings' Tyler Toffoli did the same later in the period, which ended in a 2-2 tie.
An Oscar Fantenberg goal 3:42 into the second period gave Los Angeles its first lead of the night at 3-2. But that's when the Capitals got going.
Kuznetsov, who has seven goals and eight assists in his past eight games, scored from in front on a rebound at the 6:39 mark and tied the game.
Washington then took the lead for good when defenseman Christian Djoos scored his first goal of the season on a clever play. The Kings could not clear the puck away from goalie Jonathan Quick, and it slid off to his left.
That's when Djoos reached out and poked it into the air past the goalie and everyone else into the net for a 4-3 Washington lead just past the midway point of the middle period.
Djoos had been out from mid-December until last weekend due to a thigh injury required surgery.
The Capitals stretched the lead to 5-3 when Jakub Vrana ripped a shot past Quick from the right circle at 13:09. Those three goals in a span of 6:30 turned a one-goal deficit into that two-goal lead.
Wagner beat goalie Pheonix Copley from in front for his second goal of the night and seventh of the season midway through the third period before Kuznetsov struck again. He took a quick pass from Ovechkin in front of the goal, waited a moment and then fired a shot past Quick to the far side for a 6-4 lead with 4:47 remaining.
Copley made 29 saves in the win. Quick stopped 25 shots.
--Field Level Media
Los Angeles | Washington | |
Austin Wagner 2 | Points | Evgeny Kuznetsov 4 |
Austin Wagner 2 | Goals | Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 |
Kyle Clifford 2 | Assists | Evgeny Kuznetsov 2 |
Tyler Toffoli 1 | Power Play Goals | Alex Ovechkin 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Jonathan Quick .806 | Save Percentage | Pheonix Copley .879 |
Jonathan Quick 25 | Saves | Pheonix Copley 29 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Los Angeles | 33 | 4 | 1-3 | 3-4 | 8 | 25 |
Washington | 31 | 6 | 1-4 | 2-3 | 6 | 34 |