Ovechkin scores a pair as Capitals edge Kings 3-2

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored two power-play goals, and the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 on Monday night.

It was the 10th multi-goal game this season for Ovechkin, who leads the NHL with 42 goals. He has scored a goal in three straight games and has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in the past eight games. He is on pace for 57 goals, which would be the second-most in his 14-year career. He scored 65 goals in 2007-08.

Brett Connolly scored Washington’s other goal and John Carlson had two assists to go over 300 for his career. Pheonix Copley made 26 saves for his third straight win.

Alex Iafallo and Ilya Kovalchuk had third-period goals for Los Angeles, which is 0-3-2 in its last five. Dustin Brown had an assist for his 600th point. Jack Campbell made 18 saves.

The Capitals are 2-2 during their six-game road trip and remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 73 points. Los Angeles is last in the Western Conference with 52 points.

Washington opened the scoring midway through the first with a pair of goals 20 seconds apart. Ovechkin put the Capitals on the board at 10:48 on a slap shot from the left faceoff circle.

Connolly quickly made it 2-0 at 11:08 when he deflected Andre Burakovsky’s wrist shot past Campbell for his 14th of the season. It was the quickest back-to-back goals the Capitals have scored this season, surpassing the 21-second margin that happened Oct. 4 at Pittsburgh.

Ovechkin netted his 13th power-play goal at 5:27 of the second period on a one-timer from Carlson from the left faceoff circle. It was the sixth time the Capitals have had two or more power-play goals but the first since they had two in a Dec. 11 win at Detroit.

Iafallo averted a shutout when the drove to the net and buried a cross-crease pass from Brown past Copley for his 13th of the season. Iafallo has scored in two straight games for only the second time this season.

Kovalchuk scored his 13th of the season at 19:32 when the Kings brought on an extra skater.

NOTES: Washington RW T.J. Oshie returned to the lineup after sustaining an upper-body injury during the second period at Anaheim on Sunday. … Carlson is the third defenseman in Capitals history to reach 300 assists. He joins Calle Johansson (361) and Scott Stevens (331). … Los Angeles G Jonathan Quick was available as a backup but did not play. He missed Saturday’s game against Boston due to illness. … The Kings have allowed a power-play goal in four of the past five games.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Continue their road trip on Thursday night at Toronto.

Kings: Travel to Nashville on Thursday night to start a four-game road trip.