CHICAGO -- If the Chicago Blackhawks face off against the Washington Capitals again this season, it will be in the Stanley Cup finals.

On Sunday, both teams glimpsed the pace and intensity of a possible championship showdown. The Blackhawks withstood a late charge to earn a 3-2 win over the Capitals.

"That felt like a playoff game right from the start," Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford said. "That's a good one for us, especially at home, to beat the best team in the league right now. It was an emotional one, too. It was pretty close at the end there."

Crawford stopped 28 of 30 shots, including several key stops during a power play late in the third period, to seal the win. Crawford matched a career high with his 33rd victory.

Right winger Patrick Kane, center Jonathan Toews and center Dennis Rasmussen scored for the Blackhawks. Chicago (39-20-5) snapped a two-game losing streak.

"It was a great hockey game," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "Two good teams. We had to hold our breath a little bit trying to get that last (penalty) kill, but it was very effective for us."

Centers Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored for the Capitals. Washington (45-12-4) lost for only the third time in the past 13 games. The Capitals dropped to 28-2-0 when scoring first.

Washington goaltender Braden Holtby turned aside 20 of 23 shots.

"Their core group of guys are really, really good," Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen said. "They know how to take over games when they get the chance. That was a heck of a hockey game today, I thought. A lot of high pace, good scoring chances, good goaltending, a lot of good stuff out there. Unfortunately, we were on the short end, but they're good."

The Capitals opened the scoring on a power-play goal by Johansson with 13:47 remaining in the first period. Right winger Justin Williams ripped a one-timer that deflected off Crawford's glove. Johansson batted the fluttering puck out of the air and into the net for his 15th goal.

Thirty-one seconds later, Kane evened the score at 1. Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk spotted Kane alone in front of the net and snapped a pass from near the blue line. Kane beat Holtby with a backhand shot for his 36th goal and his league-leading 85th point of the season.

Washington coach Barry Trotz said Kane's quick response stung the Capitals.

"When we got the lead, we sort of had them on their heels, and we gave it right back," Trotz said. "To me, that was pretty key."

Chicago grabbed a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal by Toews with 1:45 to go in the second period. Center Teuvo Teravainen fed a pass across the slot to Toews, who fired a wrist shot past a diving Holtby to snap an eight-game scoring drought.

Rasmussen increased Chicago's lead to 3-1 with 7:13 remaining in the third period. Right winger Richard Panik used his right skate to kick a pass to Rasmussen as he battled for a puck in the corner. Rasmussen capitalized with a one-timer for his fourth goal and his first since Dec. 19.

"It was a beautiful pass," Quenneville said. "One of the best passes I've seen all year."

Washington cut the deficit to 3-2 during a six-on-three power play with 3:21 left in the third period. Kuznetsov stuffed a shot past Crawford for his 19th goal.

In the final minutes, Crawford turned aside a slap shot by left winger Alex Ovechkin and a backhand shot by right winger T.J. Oshie to preserve the lead.

Holtby said he and his teammates needed to improve on defense.

"Whether it has to do with being more patient in areas and not trying to force things, I don't know," Holtby said. "But we've got to figure it out. We can't give up three goals every game."

NOTES: Blackhawks LW Andrew Ladd made his season debut with Chicago three days after he was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets. Ladd, 30, appeared in 184 games during his first stint with the Blackhawks from 2007 to 2010. ... Capitals RW Jay Beagle returned to the lineup after missing the past two months because of surgery to repair his injured hand. Beagle had six goals and six assists in 36 games before the injury sidelined him Dec. 30. ... Blackhawks RW Tomas Fleischmann made his team debut two days after he was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens. ... Capitals D John Carlson was transferred to long-term injured reserve because of a lower-body injury. Carlson is expected to return before the end of the regular season. ... Blackhawks RW Dale Weise has yet to join the team because of visa issues. Chicago acquired Weise along with Fleischmann on Friday from Montreal.