Kuemper makes 38 saves, Coyotes end skid with win against Capitals

WASHINGTON -- Darcy Kuemper made 38 saves for the Arizona Coyotes in a 4-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Sunday.

Alex Galchenyuk and Richard Panik each had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes (8-7-1), who had lost three straight, including 4-0 at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Kuemper allowed at least four goals in each of his previous three starts.
WATCH: [All Coyotes vs. Capitals highlights]
"I thought he was really solid," Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. "He looked really big in the net. They've got sharpshooters over there, so he withstood those guys. It was nice to see."
Nicklas Backstrom scored for the Capitals (7-6-1), who have lost two straight and went 2-2-1 on their homestand.
"We know we have a target on our back every night as the defending champ [and] that teams are going to come in, regardless of their schedule, and give us their best effort," Washington coach Todd Reirden said. "Our play was not good enough tonight."
Vinnie Hinostroza scored on the power play at 16:56 of the first period to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead. He carried the puck into the Capitals zone and passed across to Dylan Strome in the right face-off circle. Strome dropped it to Panik high in the slot, and Panik passed to Hinostroza, who scored from the bottom of the left circle.

Panik, a healthy scratch against Pittsburgh, made it 2-0 at 11:57 of the second period with an unassisted goal. He got to an errant pass in the Arizona zone, went on a 2-on-1 break with Christian Fischer, and shot over goalie Braden Holtby's shoulder from the right side.
"That was a big shot for us," Tocchet said. "He was good along the walls. We need those type of players, and when he plays like that, he can be a good player for us."
Backstrom got the Capitals to within 2-1 at 12:41. Playing center on a line with Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie, Backstrom took an Ovechkin pass in the right circle and beat Kuemper on the short side.

Galchenyuk put the Coyotes ahead 3-1 with a power-play goal at 14:38 of the second, scoring on the rebound of a Brendan Perlini shot.
Derek Stepan scored into an empty net with 1:32 remaining for the 4-1 final score.
"Big bounce-back game, big win for us," Kuemper said. "We get back on track now, and that's what we needed."
Arizona was 2-for-6 on the power play. Washington has allowed at least one power-play goal in four straight games and two in each of the past two games.
"Obviously, we're struggling there and it's something that we've got to be better at," Backstrom said. "But overall this wasn't our best effort. I feel like we can get better everywhere too. … Right now, if we keep playing like this, we're not going to get any points."
The Capitals went 0-for-2 on the power play. The Coyotes have the best penalty kill in the NHL (91.8 percent).
Washington defenseman John Carlson was minus-1 with five shots on goal in 25:44 after missing a 2-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday with a lower-body injury.

They said it

"The team knew coming in what kind of firepower they have. So everyone was committed to playing defensive. It starts with the neutral zone. We didn't give them much off the rush. And, you know, when we're taking a way a team's rushes, you know, we're pretty stingy, pretty hard to play against."-- Coyotes goalie Darcy Kuemper
"Our play, the way it's been, it's been a little up and down. But I think it's a good thing going on the road playing some good teams. Sometimes that helps, just go out and simplify and outwork the other teams. Don't worry about impressing anyone or anything like that, just go out and grind out some wins, and that can do a lot for a group." -- Capitals goalie Braden Holtby on their upcoming four-game road trip

Need to know

Coyotes forward Clayton Keller, who had an assist on Stepan's goal, has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his past 11 games. … Backstrom has two goals and four assists in a five-game point streak. … Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov's point streak ended at six games. He had one goal and six assists during the streak.

What's next

Coyotes: At the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-D, FS-A, NHL.TV)
Capitals: At the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FS-N, NBCSWA, NHL.TV)