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The Los Angeles Kings will likely be without the services of veteran defenseman Drew Doughty when they continue a six-game road trip and look for a fifth straight win in Washington against the Capitals on Monday.
Doughty left the Kings’ 1-0 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday in the second period after blocking a shot off his left foot.
The 35-year-old, who is on the Kings’ top defensive pair alongside Mikey Anderson, has eight points in 19 games this season while averaging over 22 minutes in ice time.
Doughty was seen postgame in Ottawa wearing a walking boot.
“I don’t think there’s much that needs to be said,” Anderson said. “He’s obviously one of the probably biggest, if not the biggest competitor, I think, in the league. Sucks to see him be hurting, but again, he battles and he’s going to do anything he can to keep playing or stay engaged and involved.”
Alex Laferriere had the Kings’ goal and Anton Forsberg made 17 saves for his ninth career shutout and first of the season as Los Angeles improved to 9-1-2 on the road.
With his fifth goal of the season, Laferriere extended his point streak to four games (two goals, two assists).
“I thought both teams, there wasn’t a lot of room, a lot of chances either way, so I was really proud of our guys to get through that,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “It’s good for us to know that we can be that frustrating to play against, too, when we do it right like that. Credit to Ottawa, they made it really hard.”
Monday is the first of two meetings this season between the Capitals and Kings. The teams split a pair of games last season, each winning on home ice.
The Capitals enter Monday’s game with just two wins in their last 10 (2-6-2) and are looking to bounce back from a 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.
Alex Ovechkin scored career goal No. 902 and Connor McMichael also found the back of the net for the Capitals, who have lost four of five (1-3-1).
Goaltender Logan Thompson made 29 saves in the loss.
Thompson, Monday’s likely starter, is 7-5-1 with a 1.85 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage in 13 games.
“We’ve just got to stick with it,” Thompson said. “We feel like we’re generating chances each night. You can come away and say we should have won that one. It’s frustrating. … We’ve got to start getting some wins here and getting more points.”
Dylan Strome, who had an assist in the loss, paces the Capitals with 11 in 16 games.
“The process has been pretty good,” Strome said. “We’re out-playing teams on most nights, and I’d say we’re outshooting teams a lot of times. We’ve got to find ways to get to the net, get to the dirty areas and score goals.
“We’ve got to keep working at it. No one is going to feel sorry for us. We’ve got to be better.”
–Field Level Media
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