Alex Ovechkin scored two goals, and Braden Holtby made 36 saves for the Capitals (7-2-3), whose four-game winning streak ended.
"[Holtby] kept us in the game with saves on a number of odd-man rushes, and to me, those were read-based, and that's something we've got to continue to work on and improve in our decisions," Washington coach Todd Reirden said. "Knowing who you're on the ice against is something we talked about before the game, and I don't have the luxury of having the last change, so you're going to have certain players out there and matchups you don't necessarily like, and players have to understand those reads and choices they make on the ice."
Ovechkin and Washington defenseman John Carlson each extended his point streak to nine games.
Carlson, who had an assist on Ovechkin's first goal to set the record for longest point streak by a Capitals defenseman, leads the NHL with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists).
"Obviously, it was a tough third period for us," Ovechkin said. "We got the lead 3-1, and we just stop playing. We knew they were going to come, and you know with the mistakes we make, we knew we could not give McDavid the speed through the neutral zone, and those mistakes, they will use it and obviously their speed that they have, we cannot give them freedom. Overall, I don't think we played well in first and third."
