When Cole Hutson scored with 1:25 left in the first period, it seemed like the Washington Capitals would roll over the winless Los Angeles Kings. However, that notion was short-lived with a total breakdown in the final 33 seconds of the period erased a 2-0 lead and changed the entire tenor of the contest as the Kings rolled off 5 straight goals for their first win of the year.
“It’s kind of a weird one,” Dylan Strome said. “Like, you know, it feels like when you’re in the game that we were controlling more of the play and then, um, yeah, they get a couple lucky bounces.”
“I mean, you’re looking like you’re gonna get out of the first in pretty good shape, and then they score two and kind of flip the whole momentum of the game,” Tom Wilson said. ” We were rolling, and then just lost momentum a little bit, and they get… they get two big plays. We just couldn’t find the answer.”
The night started off well enough for Washington, as Ryan Leonard continued his strong play, crossing into the middle and shooting a puck past former Capital Darcy Kuemper for a 1-0 lead 9:25 into the game.
Hutson then doubled the lead with a nice move, and with just 85 ticks left, the Caps were seemingly in the driver’s seat.
But sloppy defense quickly allowed the Kings to tie the game up, as Adrian Kempe scored with 33 seconds left in the first, then Artemi Panarin beat the clock with the equalizer with 1.2 seconds showing on the board.
“I just think those are important moments in the game, where I think we can just tighten it up a little bit, I think, just a little more communication, help each other out,” Jakob Chychrun said in a quiet Capitals locker room. “I think a lot of times, we’re just looking at our buddy with the puck and not really helping him out of a couple of situations.”
The outburst knocked the Capitals off their momentum, and they struggled to regain it in the second, then the Kings took the lead in the third as Erik Gustafsson broke through the defense and gave Los Angeles their first lead of the night.
Kempe got his second of the game, knocking the puck loose from the returning Matt Roy and then getting the goal after beating the defense out in front.
Los Angeles added an empty-netter to cap off the Capitals worst loss of the season so far.
“We know where they’re [winless], and it’s unacceptable for us, especially in home ice, to kind of do something like that tonight,” Leonard said.
The positives were the offensive contributions from their young players, Leonard and Hutson, showing off some impressive play in the first. Thompson was also solid in net, considering the breakdowns in front of him, but also was upstaged by Kuemper, who made 23 saves.
The not-so-good was the defensive coverage, as numerous unforced errors gave the Kings time and space on numerous occasions, and they were able to parlay it into two points. The lack of finish to the first gave the struggling Kings life, and Washington didn’t match them the rest of the contest. After the game, Spencer Carbery lamented a failed power play followed by a Kings’ power-play goal.
“Special teams [were] not nearly good enough, as you saw it tonight,” he said. “I think that’s the pivotal moment in the game. The game’s tied. We get a power play. Do nothing with it. And then they get powered, and Gus makes the play, right?
“That there’s the game’s hanging in the balance, and we get an opportunity to … do something with a power play to generate momentum, then we take the penalty they get in the power play, and they score.”
Washington falls to 5-4-0 and 2-1-0 on the homestand, with a couple of days off before the Buffalo Sabres come to town Saturday night.
The Capitals are also 0-2-0 against the Western Conference this season, having lost to the Seattle Kraken nine days ago at home.
Home › Forums › Takeaways From Capitals Loss To L.A.