With regal magnanimity the Washington Capitals decreed that the Los Angeles Kings should, forsooth and verily, sit resplendent in victory for the first time this season. It sucked.
Ryan Leonard turned Washington’s second shot of the game into a goal, going lateral in the high slot. Cole Hutson doubled the lead while on the power play. Everything was looking great. About to cruise into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead, just gotta kill these last 33 seconds – aaaaand they blew it. Adrian Kempe went top shelf to make it 2-1, and half a minute later Artemi Panarin made good on the Caps’ defensive turnover.
After a quiet second period, ex-Cap Erik Gustafsson carved the Caps defense to give LA their first lead. With his second goal of the night, Kempe extended the Kings’ lead. Scott Laughton got a laugher (just go with it) for an empty-netter.
Kings beat Caps 5-2.
- Obvious trap game was obvious. The Kings were winless coming into Washington. They wanted the dubya much more; that was clear in the third-period effort.
- Another slow start for the Caps, who had just one on-goal shot through almost ten minutes. I miss Pierre-Luc Dubois. I hope that guy is drinking his electrolytes or whatever. Sucking down matzo and neti-potting nonstop. The Caps need him. They also need about half their defensive corps upgraded. Nice to have Matt Roy back at least.
- With no one else stepping up, the two youths, Leonard and Hutson, took it upon themselves to provide offense. Ryan Leonard made a great read to cut to center ice for his shot. He leads the team in points right now. Cole Hutson drove to the net with the confidence of a seasoned player of legal drinking age.
- The Kings lost 2C Quinton Byfield in the first period. He was apparently playing hurt. Didn’t seem to hinder the Kings much.
- Also playing hurt: Logan Thompson, if Joe Beninati’s interpretation is correct. On the topics of goalies and couture, I trust the man entirely. The camera caught LT stretching intensively during a second period timeout. He stayed in the game, and there were no further hints of trouble.
- It was a double gut punch of an ending to the first period. The Kempe goal was – what are ya gonna do – but Anthony Beauvillier‘s pass to Jonny Brodzinski was an easy pickoff, and Panarin doesn’t waste many chances like that.
- My Monumental feed dropped during each intermission, so I had to back out and come back in. Then in the third I somehow fell about 90 seconds behind live. I wish there were a way to know when that is happening.
- Congrats to Darcy Kuemper and Peter Laviolette and Erik Gustafsson, I freaking guess.
Frame these frames and hang em in the Guggenheim #joebsuitofthenight
— Good Skeet Pete (@peterhassett.net) 2026-10-20T22:58:27.318Z
That was not the most enjoyable game. We got fun from two children whose combined age is less than mine, but the Caps blew that lead inside a single minute. Way too much offense came in the form of exchanged odd-man rushes, and way too little defense came assertively.
Now, mystifyingly, we have three days of rest before the Caps welcome the Buffalo Sabres to town.
