In Washington, DC, Darcy Kuemper made 29 saves for the Capitals in a struggling win over the San Jose Sharks in a later afternoon contest on Sunday. 
“Kuemps kept us in a little bit and I think it was only a matter of time,” the Caps’ Dylan Strome said. “We had a lot of o-zone shifts in a row. We knew guys were getting chances all over the place. Coach said we were going to get three in the third, and we got three in the third.”
The Sharks had taken a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal from Luke Kunin at 11L40 of the fist.
The ended a string of 163+ minutes of scoreless hokey for San Jose.
“Right now, we have such a thin margin for error,” San Jose coach David Quinn said. “Usually, if you only give up two goals, you like your chances, and right now, we’re really snakebit.”
The game stayed 1-0 until the 2:18 mark of the third when Strome connected for the Caps to tie the game, 1-1.
“He’s just playing at a real high level right now,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said of Strome, who also won 21 of 27 faceoffs. “He’s putting himself in good spots. He’s playing a well-rounded game.”
Tom Wilson scored at 15:15 of the third to give the Caps a 2-1 lead.
“The puck was kind of bouncing everywhere, so you’re just trying to get it toward the net,” Wilson said. “You’ve got to make your breaks in that type of game. Desperate team coming in. We worked hard and stuck with it. Got a bounce finally, and got it done.”
Evgeny Kuznetsov hit an empty net with 58 seconds left on the game clock for the 3-1 final.
“I hope we’re going in the right direction to putting a full 60 together,” Kunin said. “We just fell short there the last little bit. So, it obviously stings. It’s frustrating. It’s hard. Everyone in that locker room, everyone in this organization wants to win. And that’s our mindset. So, when you’re not, it’s tough.”
Mackenzie Blackwood made 39 saves in the Sharks loss.
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