Kings erase two-goal deficit to beat Capitals

The Washington Capitals led by two goals with less than two minutes to play in the first period Tuesday night at Capital One Arena. It was the first meeting between the two teams this season. They finished with a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, who entered the night 0-4-2 and had not won all season.

Ryan Leonard opened the scoring at 9:25 of the first period. Cole Hutson made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 18:35, with 1:25 left in the period.

Washington lost the lead before the period ended, allowing two goals in the final 83 seconds.

Adrian Kempe scored off a 2-on-1 rush at 19:27, finishing a feed from Artemi Panarin. Panarin tied it himself 31 seconds later, with two seconds left in the period. The first intermission arrived at 2-2, with neither team scoring in the second. Darcy Kuemper denied Washington's best look of the period with a save on Jakob Chychrun.

Kings take the lead for good

Los Angeles finally went ahead in the third. Erik Gustafsson scored on the power play at 7:28, his first goal of the season, converting after Vincent Desharnais was whistled for hooking.

Kempe scored his second of the night at 11:35, tucking in a feed from Panarin from below the goal line. Alex Laferriere picked up the second assist on both of Kempe's goals. Scott Laughton added an empty-net goal at 18:15 to make it 5-2.

Kuemper finished with 30 saves on 32 shots for the win. Logan Thompson stopped 21 of 25 in the loss. Washington outshot Los Angeles 32-26, but did not score again after Hutson's goal at 18:35 of the first period, going scoreless over the final 41 minutes and 25 seconds. Los Angeles was whistled for 10 penalty minutes to Washington's six.

The power play finished 1-for-4. Panarin finished with a goal and two assists for Los Angeles. Hutson leads all rookie defensemen in goals and points this season.

Washington was already missing four regulars to injury. Centers Pierre-Luc Dubois and Justin Sourdif were both out, and defenseman Rasmus Sandin and forward Patrick Thomas were also out. Los Angeles played shorthanded as well. Quinton Byfield left the game with an upper-body injury after 2:44 of ice time, and coach Peter Laviolette said he would be evaluated Wednesday.

Leonard's hot stretch continues

Leonard has points in six of his last seven games and leads the Capitals with eight points in nine this season. Alex Ovechkin entered the game one assist from tying Nicklas Backstrom's franchise assist record. He was held off the scoresheet in the loss.

It was Los Angeles's first win in seven tries to open the season, snapping a six-game skid. Washington, now 5-4-0 after winning two straight before Tuesday, plays Buffalo at home Saturday.