This Date in Caps History - October 22

On October 22, 1993 the Washington Capitals downed the Los Angeles Kings 6-3 before 17,017 fans at USAir Arena in Landover.

Randy Burridge got the scoring started early for Washington when he beat Los Angeles netminder Kelly Hrudey at the 37-second mark of the opening period. Michal Pivonka and Pat Peake collected the assists. Burridge netted his second of the night and third of the season at 6:45 of the first to give the Caps a 2-0 advantage. Peake and Al Iafrate were credited with the helpers on Burridge’s second goal of the game. Iafrate closed out the first period scoring with an unassisted power play tally at 9:06. Each team had a dozen shots on goal in the first period.

The Kings began to carve into the Capitals’ lead in the second. Jari Kurri scored at 2:32 of the middle period, beating Washington goaltender Don Beaupre. Just over two minutes later, Rob Blake tallied to bring Los Angeles within a goal. With the Capitals on a power play midway through the frame, Burridge completed his hat trick – the third of his NHL career – with help from Peake and Peter Bondra. Dmitri Khristich netted his fifth goal of the season at 13:23 of the second to restore Washington’s three-goal lead. Mike Ridley picked up the lone assist on Khristich’s goal. The Capitals enjoyed a 15-10 advantage in second period shots on goal.

Just 37 seconds into the third period, Wayne Gretzky scored a power play goal to make it 5-3 in favor of the Caps. The goal was Gretzky’s sixth of the young season. Kelly Miller closed out the scoring for Washington when he banged home an empty-netter with 24 seconds remaining in the game. Ridley again picked up the lone assist. The Caps outshot the Kings 12-8 in the third and 39-30 on the night.

Burridge’s hat trick made him the slam-dunk choice as the game’s first star. Playing in just his third NHL game, Peake picked up second star honors with his three assists. A goal and an assist earned the great Gretzky the game’s third star designation.