Blackhawks 3, Capitals 2
CHICAGO -- Goaltender Corey Crawford matched a career high with his 33rd victory as the Chicago Blackhawks held on for a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Right winger Patrick Kane, center Jonathan Toews and center Dennis Rasmussen scored for the Blackhawks. Chicago (39-20-5) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Centers Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored for the Capitals. Washington (45-12-4) lost for only the third time in the past 13 games. The Capitals dropped to 28-2-0 when scoring first.
Crawford stopped 28 of 30 shots to improve to 33-16-3.
Washington goaltender Braden Holtby turned aside 20 of 23 shots in the loss.
The Capitals opened the scoring on a power-play goal by Johansson with 13:47 remaining in the first period. Right winger Justin Williams ripped a one-timer that deflected off Crawford's glove. Johansson batted the fluttering puck out of the air and into the net for his 15th goal.
Thirty-one seconds later, Kane evened the score at 1. Defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk spotted Kane alone in front of the net and snapped a quick pass from near the blue line. Kane beat Holtby with a backhand shot for his 36th goal and his league-leading 85th point of the season.
Chicago grabbed a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal by Toews with 1:45 to go in the second period. Center Teuvo Teravainen fed a pass across the slot to Toews, who fired a wrist shot past a diving Holtby to snap an eight-game scoring drought.
Rasmussen increased Chicago's lead to 3-1 with 7:13 remaining in the third period. Right winger Richard Panik used his right skate to kick a pass to Rasmussen as he battled for a puck in the corner. Rasmussen capitalized with a one-timer for his fourth goal and his first since Dec. 19.
Washington cut the deficit to 3-2 during a six-on-three power play with 3:21 left in the third period. Kuznetsov stuffed a shot past Crawford for his 19th goal.
NOTES: Blackhawks LW Andrew Ladd made his season debut with Chicago three days after he was acquired from the Winnipeg Jets. Ladd, 30, appeared in 184 games during his first stint with the Blackhawks from 2007 to 2010. ... Capitals RW Jay Beagle returned to the lineup after missing the past two months because of surgery to repair his injured hand. Beagle had six goals and six assists in 36 games before the injury sidelined him Dec. 30. ... Blackhawks RW Tomas Fleischmann made his team debut two days after he was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens. ... Capitals D John Carlson was transferred to long-term injured reserve because of a lower-body injury. Carlson is expected to return before the end of the regular season. ... Blackhawks RW Dale Weise has yet to join the team because of visa issues. Chicago acquired Weise along with Fleischmann on Friday from Montreal.