WASHINGTON (AP) — Marcus Johansson scored on a wraparound late in regulation to help the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Saturday night, their second victory in three games when trailing going into the third period.
Nic Dowd and John Carlson scored to erase a two-goal deficit before Lars Eller gave Washington the lead. Viktor Arvidsson, who assisted on the first two Kings goals, scored to tie it again before Johansson put the Capitals ahead for good with 5:25 left.
Dmitry Orlov tied a career high with three assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves, including a couple important stops in the final minute. Washington has won three of four games after dropping its first two.
Despite two-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie Jonathan Quick stopping 28 of the 32 shots he faced, Los Angeles has lost two in a row to wrap up a five-game trip after getting blown out in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. The Kings won the first three on the trip and now return home on a sour note after blowing a multigoal lead.
The Capitals rally came after a frazzled, flustered first two periods full of little mistakes that added up to a two-goal deficit when Arvidsson set up Sean Durzi for his first goal of the season and Phillip Danault for his third.
Dowd found a loose puck in front and beat Quick a few minutes into the third, Carlson fired a perfect shot past him 59 seconds later and Eller tied it on a weird sequence with 11:01 left in regulation when Blake Lizotte had to leave the ice because his helmet came off. The relatively new rule forced Lizotte to the bench, and Los Angeles scrambled to make the quick switch, allowing Eller to find the room to score.
Washington handled the momentum shift of Arvidsson’s goal on a 2-on-1 rush and did not fall apart like it did during a 5-2 loss at Ottawa on Thursday.
NOTES: Kings defenseman Alexander Edler returned from a three-game absence after getting struck in the face by a puck in warmups Monday. ... Peter Laviolette coached the Capitals after being considered a game-time decision with an illness not related to COVID-19. ... Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov returned after serving a one-game suspension for high-sticking.
UP NEXT
Kings: Host Tampa Bay on Monday night to begin a three-game homestand.
Capitals: Begin a stretch of four consecutive road games Monday night at New Jersey.
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