WASHINGTON—John Carlson scored the game-winner with 53 seconds left in regulation, and the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 4–3 on Sunday, Jan. 7.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel had a goal and two assists, and Nic Dowd and Dylan Strome also scored for the Capitals, who ended a two-game slide.
Kevin Fiala struck twice and Adrian Kempe also scored for the Kings, who have lost five in a row.
Aube-Kubel tied the game at 3 with his fourth goal of the season at 8:36 of the third period.
Then Carlson beat Talbot from the point to put Washington up.
After a game-opening goal from Dowd early in the second, Los Angeles tilted the ice heavily in their favor and outshot Washington 18-11 in the middle frame, going up 2–1 thanks to Kempe and Fiala.
In response to the Kings’ surge, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery changed the lines and put Alex Ovechkin, Strome and Max Pacioretty together.
It paid off, as Strome tied the game, but Fiala restored the lead once again for L.A. at 1:01 of the third.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 38 of 41 shots in the win. Pacioretty picked up an assist for his first point with the Capitals, and Ovechkin, who was a game-time decision, extended his point streak to five games.
Talbot, who earned his second All-Star nomination earlier in the week, stopped 30 of 34 in defeat.
Fiala scored for the third time in four games, and Kempe has six goals in as many games.
Kings: Make their second stop of a six-game road trip Tuesday at Tampa Bay.
Capitals: Host the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
