Takeaways: Capitals Fumble Early Lead As Mistakes Costly In Loss To Kings, Who Get First Win Of Season

WASHINGTON — To kick off action on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings, the Washington Capitals appeared well in control and on their way to a strong game. However, the final minute of the first period changed things, and it cost D.C. two points.

Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson scored early to make it 2-0, but the Kings scored three unanswered, including two goals just 31 seconds apart at the end of the first, to get their first win of the season in a 5-2 loss for Washington.

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Here are the takeaways:

Ryan Leonard Stays Hot, Cole Hutson Gets On Board

Before things went south, a pair of young guns got the Capitals going on two impressive plays, and it started with leading scorer Ryan Leonard.

Leonard took matters into his own hands and carried the puck into the zone, cutting to the inside before unleashing a wicked wrister that beat Darcy Kuemper.

It marked Leonard's fourth goal of the season and second goal in as many games. He also now leads the Capitals in scoring with eight points in nine games, and he has points in six of the last seven, too.

Toward the end of the first period, on the final seconds of a power play, Cole Hutson got the puck and carried it into the zone before powering to the slot and beating Kuemper for his second of the season.

Hutson's goal moved him to five points in nine games, putting him into a tie for third in scoring among all NHL rookies.

Unfortunately, Washington couldn't keep the momentum going, as seconds later, the tide changed.

Capitals Breakdown In Final Seconds Of First Costly

With just 33 seconds to go in the first, and D.C. up 2-0, the Capitals made a couple of costly mistakes on defense that cost them their lead, and ultimately, momentum in the game.

After Hutson carried the puck up into the zone again for one last rush, his drive was intercepted and sent down ice, where Artemi Panarin then went on a 2-on-1 with Adrian Kempe fresh off the bench. Kempe made no mistake, beating Logan Thompson to cute things to 2-1.

Then, with just under two seconds to go in the frame, Jonny Brodzinski turned over the puck along the boards and beat Thompson to tie the game and give L.A. all the momentum going into the second.

From there, the Kings dominated in several aspects of the game, capitalizing on turnovers and mistakes from Washington.

Game Slips Away In Third, Special Teams Need Work

While the Capitals still had an opportunity to take control and get back in the game in the third, Los Angeles kept the pressure on, and didn't let up.

Despite some moments of pressure and another key power play opportunity with the game still tied, Washington couldn't convert or really generate any quality opportunities on Kuemper, who stood tall for L.A. D.C. also went 1-for-4 on the man advantage after the first.

Then, Vincent Desharnais took a costly hooking penalty in the third, and Erik Gustafsson took advantage of the penalty kill, breaking in alone and beating Thompson 1-on-1 to give the Kings the lead.

From there, Los Angeles kept going, and Kempe struck again when no one picked him up camped out in front, where he buried a quick feed from behind the net. Scott Laughton later iced the win with an empty-netter, shutting down the Capitals’ rally, which came too little too late.

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