Aliaksei Protas found the back of the net twice, leading the Washington Capitals to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday evening.
Jakub Vrana also contributed by scoring, while Pierre-Luc Dubois provided two assists, helping the Capitals reclaim the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
Logan Thompson was solid in goal, making 25 saves which improved his record to 13 wins, 2 losses, and 2 overtime losses this season.
For the Kings, Kevin Fiala scored the only goal, marking a tough stretch for the team that has seen them lose three of their last four games and suffer their first back-to-back losses of the season.
David Rittich managed 18 saves but fell to a record of 10 wins and 8 losses with this defeat.

One of the notable aspects for the Kings is their struggling power play, which ranked fifth-worst in the league before this game and went 0 for 10 during their extended road trip.
Fiala’s goal broke a six-game drought for the team on power plays, providing a much-needed boost.
Meanwhile, the Capitals have benefitted from Protas’ emergence in the absence of star player Alex Ovechkin, who is still recovering from a leg injury.
Protas’ impressive performance, including a two-goal game, has seen him match his career-high of 29 points, achieved last season, but in 45 fewer games this time around.

A pivotal moment in the game came early in the second period when the Capitals surrendered a power-play goal. However, they quickly responded with their own man-advantage goal as Vrana netted his sixth of the season, putting Washington back in the lead.
Dubois continues to make his mark in Washington, extending his point streak to three games and tallying points in seven of his last eight games.
His contributions have him leading the team in scoring throughout December.

Looking ahead, the Capitals are set to face the Boston Bruins in their last game before the Christmas break on Monday night, while the Kings will return to action after nearly a week off to host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.