- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
The Los Angeles Kings erased an early two-goal deficit to defeat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Tuesday night, securing their first victory of the season.
Washington jumped ahead when Cole Hutson converted a power-play strike with 1:25 remaining in the opening period. Ryan Leonard also scored for the Capitals, who led 2-0 before Adrian Kempe answered for Los Angeles less than a minute after Hutson's tally. Artemi Panarin then tied the game with a goal two seconds before the first intermission, and Washington was held scoreless for the final 41:25.
Erik Gustafsson put the Kings ahead on a power play at 7:28 of the third period. Kempe added his second goal midway through the final frame, and Scott Laughton sealed the outcome with an empty-netter. The five goals marked Los Angeles' highest-scoring output of the season.
Darcy Kuemper, a former Capital from 2022-24, made 30 saves for the Kings. Logan Thompson stopped 21 shots for Washington, which was without injured centers Pierre Luc-Dubois and Justin Sourdif. Los Angeles saw Quinton Byfield leave with an upper-body issue in the opening frame after only 2:44 of play.
Source: ESPN - Tue Oct 20, 9:51 PM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).