WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 903rd career NHL goal as the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Monday night.
Matt Roy also scored for the Capitals, who finished a two-game skid and gained some momentum in the standings.
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Anze Kopitar scored the lone goal for the Kings, who have won four straight games. It was only their second away defeat of the season.
Washington, struggling to finish at 5-on-5, opened the scoring early when Roy stepped up to the net and sent Alexei Protas' point shot past Darcy Kuemper. It was Roy's first goal in 25 games dating back to last season.
In the second period, Ovechkin broke through the crease and got to the net before deflecting Connor McMichael's shot from behind the net. Ovechkin, who has now scored in back-to-back games and three of his last four overall, also passed Gordie Howe for the most regular-season goals scored in a single stadium in NHL history with his 442nd goal at Capital One Arena.
Anze Kopitar pulled Los Angeles within one, scoring his third goal of the season with 6:33 left in the second. He listened to Corey Perry's backdoor broadcast of the power play. Washington has now failed to score on the power play in three straight games and five of its last six.
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Despite the rally, the Kings were unable to beat Charlie Lindgren, who stopped 30 of 31 shots for his second win of the season after losing his last four starts.
Kuemper stopped 23 of 25 losses.
Los Angeles played its first game of the season without Drew Doughty. He has been out with a lower-body injury for a week after being injured Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.
Next
Capitals: Host the Oilers on Wednesday.
Kings: Conclude a six-game road trip against the Sharks on Thursday.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
