Costa Mesa officials say slowdown in local sales tax revenue has created deficit

• March 14, 2025

Costa Mesa is expecting a $3.6 million deficit for the final three months of the city’s current budget, forcing the City Council to consider what planned improvement projects might need to be delayed.

The deficit largely comes from a slowdown in expected sales tax revenue, officials said. Almost half of the city budget comes from sales tax, driven by consumer goods and automotive industries that dominate Costa Mesa.

To get ahead of the shortfall, the City Council has been given some options for cutting the deficit, including delaying several maintenance and other improvement projects at city-owned facilities.

The projected deficit spurred city leaders to suggest looking at raising the city’s hotel tax and service fees to bring in more revenue along with looking at ways to encourage businesses to open up shop in Costa Mesa.

City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said delaying capital improvement projects creates cost savings while minimizing the effect on public services.

“It’s a good place to turn, many cities will turn to that,” she said. “It’s projects we can defer for either six months or a year, basically until the economy gets better without affecting the core services for the public.”

Half of the city’s budget is dedicated to public safety, she said. The city is also considering implementing a soft hiring freeze in the coming weeks and later eliminating unfilled positions, though that wouldn’t affect the police and fire departments.

Some projects outlined for deferral include improvements to the city’s westside police sub-station and the senior center, building a butterfly garden, maintenance items at City Hall and a modernization upgrade for the Costa Mesa County Club.

The city will also shift what it spends for street sweeping to be paid completely by gas taxes instead of partly by the general fund.

The city’s total budget is $187 million for the year. Another option to close the deficit would be to dip into the city’s $60 million of reserves.

The council at a later meeting will hear more details about possibly delaying the projects.

Costa Mesa’s current budget ends on June 30. The city soon will present additional strategies to help balance the new budget beginning on July 1.

Costa Mesa is moving now to cut costs to help avoid the possibility of taking more drastic measures in the future, city officials said.

Councilmembers said they also hope the city can look at ways to increase revenue.

Mayor John Stephens said the sentiment constituents have shared with him is that Costa Mesa is too slow to process applications from businesses. He shared a story about Matty’s Patty’s, a burger restaurant co-founded by chef and actor Matty Matheson and Pat Tenore that opened in December, taking two years to get entitlements to open.

Each month not open cost the owners and the city money, Stephens said. “The consequence of delay is time that we are not getting sales tax.”

“I’m concerned we’re being perceived as a city that is not friendly to business and that is impacting our revenue,” he added. “I have not done a study on that, but it’s a concern.”

Stephens suggested looking at whether the city’s hotel and business license taxes and other service fees are high enough so that residents aren’t paying an outsized share toward the city budget.

Councilmember Manuel Chavez said the council’s discussion signals to him a shift to swing the pendulum toward maximizing revenue streams for the city, “a healthy, organic thing to do.”

​ Orange County Register 

American Airlines Boeing 737 catches fire after landing at Denver airport; 12 people injured

• March 14, 2025

DENVER — An American Airlines plane caught fire on the tarmac after landing at Denver International Airport with engine issues Thursday evening, forcing passengers to evacuate the burning aircraft authorities said.

Twelve people were transported to area hospitals with minor injuries after evacuating the Boeing 737-800, airport spokesperson Michael Konopasek said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, the agency said in a social media post Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating, according to a statement on the FAA’s website.

Konopasek said Friday morning that Gate C38 near where the fire took place was still closed while the airport waited on a contractor to confirm the gate had necessary equipment. The airport expects the gate will reopen later in the day Friday and airport operations have otherwise returned to normal, he said.

Flight 1006 departed from Colorado Springs and was headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport when it was diverted to Denver after the crew reported “engine vibrations,” according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration. The crew told air traffic controllers shortly before landing that the plane was experiencing “high engine vibrations” and was “cruising slower than normal” in a recording published on LiveATC.net.

Tracking data from Flight Aware shows the 737 left Colorado Springs at 4:52 p.m., diverted at 5:14 p.m. and landed in Denver at 5:55 p.m.

The plane landed safely and was taxiing when it experienced “an engine-related issue,” American Airlines spokesperson Brian Metham said in a statement.

The aircraft was at Gate C38 when the fire started around 6 p.m., Konopasek said. Passengers were quickly evacuated with slides and the fire was extinguished, he said.

There were 172 passengers and six crew members on board, he said.

News of the fire spread quickly on social media after passengers posted videos of smoke billowing from the plane and passengers evacuating onto the wings. The FAA said passengers exited using slides.

“We thank our crew members, DEN team and first responders for their quick and decisive action with the safety of everyone on board and on the ground as the priority,” American Airlines said in a statement.

The country has seen a recent spate of aviation disasters and close calls stoking fears about air travel, though flying remains a very safe mode of transport.

Recent on-the-ground incidents have included a plane that crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto and a Japan Airlines plane that clipped a parked Delta plane while it was taxiing at the Seattle airport.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

There’s a bridge above the 5 Freeway — but where is the road?

• March 14, 2025

Q: I regularly drive the 5 Freeway, and at about the Jeffrey Road exit there is a new bridge that looks like a bridge to nowhere. Can you explain what this major project is?

– David Mitchell, Tustin

A: That is the beginnings of the Jeffrey Open Space Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge.

Construction began a year ago on the 1,200-foot-long crossing that will allow users to trundle above the freeway, a storm drain, a Caltrans park-and-ride lot and Walnut Avenue.

“It will help provide a key linkage between trails that extend from the Pacific Ocean all the way up to the Santa Ana Mountains and Cleveland National Forest,” Linda Fontes, a spokesperson for the city of Irvine, told Honk in an email, adding that part of the trail itself still must be finished. “Due to the project’s complexity and its location over a busy freeway, the bridge’s concrete structure will be poured in five phases.”

The bridge will include 40 custom decorative light poles and landscaping. It will cost an estimated $23.3 million, with $14.5 million provided by the state.

Linda shares Honk’s passion for fun facts. She told him:

• About 900,000 pounds of rebar will be used that, if laid out end-to-end, would extend more than 83 miles.

• Foundations have been installed as deep as 56 feet.

• To walk the bridge at a moderate pace will take four to five minutes.

Q: Honk: The other day, several other drivers and I were buzzing along at nearly 80 mph on the 405 Freeway in Orange County. A Highway Patrolman was standing next to his car, with his radar gun pointed at oncoming traffic. He was parked up against the center divider, inside the Express Lanes. His car was pointed in the same direction as traffic, but to join the regular freeway lanes he would have to overcome the white barriers separating the 405 Express Lanes. Would he actually jump into his car to chase down offenders? Does the gun have a technology that can capture license-plate numbers? Or is it just to say, “Drive carefully. … We’re out there watching”?

– Jeff Lashower, Long Beach

A: Honk went to Duane Graham, an officer and spokesman out of the Westminster station, which patrols that stretch, for answers.

“The officer mentioned in the (question) was more than likely monitoring speed within the Express Lanes, as he would not (want) to cross the white delineators to stop a vehicle traveling within the main line,” Graham said in an email.

There could have been an officer downstream who would pull over the offender, too.

The officer was likely using radar, which deploys radio waves and doesn’t differentiate vehicles if they are in a pack, or lidar, which relies on laser light and can pinpoint a car, truck or motorcycle.

“The radar, or lidar, does not have technologies that record license plates,” Graham explained. “However, we do have patrol vehicles equipped with LPR (license plate readers) that are constantly scanning license plates.”

Patrol cars outfitted with those devices warn officers as they drive about when they spot license-plate numbers of reported stolen vehicles, or maybe of one carrying a wanted person.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

​ Orange County Register 

Why every Southern California garden could use an African blue basil plant

• March 14, 2025

Five things to do in the garden this week:

Fruit. Although kiwi vines generally need a colder winter than Southern California’s in order to flower and fruit, the Fuzzy Jenny variety needs only 100 hours of winter chill (temperatures below 45 degrees) and thus is suitable for growing anywhere in our area. Although kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) is a dioecious species, meaning there are separate male and female plants — and both are generally needed for flowers and fruit to form — Fuzzy Jenny females can fruit on their own. However, as is the case with virtually all self-fertile fruit trees and vines, a larger crop of 100 pounds or more, with bigger fruit, will grow when a male counterpart is present.  Thus, it would be wise to plant a male Fuzzy, although it will not produce fruit itself, next to the female. Both types are accessible at onegreenworld.com. Fragrant yellow flowers appear in the spring, followed by fruit (golf ball size when female planted alone, up to twice as large in company of male plant) in summer or fall. Single specimens will reach 4-6 feet tall and spread 10-20 feet on a trellis, ideally supported with metal posts or 4×4’s. Propagate from softwood cuttings taken in April or May. Although kiwifruit became commercially popularized thanks to New Zealand, it is actually native to China, which leads the world in production of this crop.

Once the danger of frost has passed — mid-March in Southern California — beans may be planted. It is advisable, as is the case with large seeds in general, to pre-soak them overnight for quicker germination. Alternatively, you can place them on a wet paper towel and cover them with plastic wrap for a few days until their first root is visible. If you plant without pre-soaking or pre-germination, make sure they are well watered when placed in the ground or in a container; yes, you can grow beans in a container as long as there is a stick for them to grow up vertically. In terms of growth habit, there are three types of beans: runner beans, pole beans, and bush beans. Runner beans vine their way up the support you provide in a clockwise manner, while pole beans ascend in a counterclockwise direction; this distinction is important if you wish to assist their climb by twining them in the right direction. Bush beans grow as their name indicates, with a mature stature of two feet tall and wide. Classic green beans are grown as pole or bush beans. A runner bean known as Royal Corona has a reputation for being the largest and tastiest variety of any bean. It is white in color, twice the size of a lima bean, and plumps up even bigger when cooked. With beans, there is a relationship between size and taste with the larger varieties, from favas to gigantes to coronas, being most flavorful.

Herbs. If I had to single out a single plant to recommend for every Southern California garden, African blue basil (Ocimum kilimandscharicum x basilicum) would be it. It is a hybrid between camphor basil and sweet basil. Like many other hybrid plants, African blue basil is sterile, which helps to explain its extravagant flowering; when a plant does not form seeds, there is more energy to devote purely to flowering. In such a case, dead-heading or removal of faded flowers which would otherwise go to seed (and discourage more flowering) is not an issue. Imagine acquiring a plant in the spring that is only a few inches tall and then seeing it grow into a gorgeous four-foot-tall and wide specimen with a mass of blooms by midsummer. African blue basil grows equally well in sun or light shade. It requires a bare minimum of water and will grace your garden for several years at least although, like sweet basil, it is easily propagated from cuttings so that you will have its clones forever if you choose. Not as culinarily enticing as sweet basil because of its heavier camphor component, you can still use its leaves to make pesto, to sprinkle over roasted potatoes and to flavor drinks and salads. Flowers are pink with purple tips and attract a legion of pollinating insects.

Perennials. Sea holly (Eryngium planum) has a unique garden presence owing to a plethora of spherical blooms. Violet-blue protuberances are surrounded by what look like thorns but are actually soft, if jagged, flower parts. Sea holly flowers can be preserved for months as dry flowers. Sea holly is cold-hardy, drought-tolerant, and suitable for both a dry garden and as a container subject. It is a relative of dill, fennel, and cilantro and, like them, attracts beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies, growing three feet tall. Globe thistle (Echinops spp.), which reaches four feet in height, is an unrelated perennial whose golf ball flowers roughly match the shape and color of those of sea holly blooms. Globe thistle has a clumping growth habit and will persist for years, easily propagated by division of its clumps.

Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), which is considered to be a weedy nuisance by some, has a large number of horticultural applications. It is an indicator plant for a fertile soil since it sprouts up in well-aerated ground where nitrogen and phosphorus are abundantly available. Nettle extract, made by composting nettle leaves and brewing them as a tea, has been used as an insecticide, fungicide, and miticide. This tea may also be utilized as a liquid fertilizer and as a compost pile accelerator of decomposition. It is also a rich source of magnesium, sulphur, and iron. Nettle is highly attractive to butterflies, including endangered species, whose larvae munch on its leaves. You can order nettle seeds online and grow the plant as a ground cover which, when mowed or pruned down to the ground, grows back with greater density. Always wear gloves when handling nettles due to their stinging hairs.

​ Orange County Register 

Jennie Finch helps unveil La Mirada softball’s new Jennie Finch Field at dedication ceremony

• March 14, 2025

LA MIRADA — Jennie Finch is proud of the “new normal” at La Mirada High School.

“These girls won’t know any different and that’s what we’ve worked for and the women before me that worked to get what I was able to receive in my career,” Finch said. “The best is yet to come.”

The 1998 alum proudly threw out the first pitch at La Mirada softball’s new “Jennie Finch Field” Thursday night.

“This is a first-class facility,” Finch continued. “It’s beautiful. It’s stunning. Never in a million years would I think that this would be right here in La Mirada.”

It was a special honor for the softball legend, who won a NCAA title in 2001 and an Olympic Gold Medal in 2004, as the school’s new facility, which was named in her honor, was unveiled against Fullerton High, where her niece Malaya Majam-Finch, who is committed to Oklahoma, is a star pitcher.

“It’s truly special,” Finch continued. “I’m so proud of her and I’m just so thankful that this is her reality and going through the recruiting process with her and just to see the opportunities out there is so exciting.”

Amongst her notable accolades, Finch was named the Press-Telegram’s Player of the Year in 1998.

“This is where it all began,” Finch said. “My roots are right here and so I’m just thankful for the amount of teachers and friends and faculty and staff and coaches that have poured into me and my career and others. It’s so much to celebrate to see what is to come and what is here now. It’s beautiful.”

La Mirada softball coach Brent Tuttle said Finch’s legacy is bigger than what she did inside the circle.

“It’s an honor to recognize her and all her accomplishments not just what she did at La Mirada but what she did for the game of softball,” Tuttle said. “I don’t know if there is a bigger face for the game. She made softball cool again in the late 90s early 2000s. I think a lot of these girls wouldn’t be where they’re at, the game wouldn’t be where its at without Jennie Finch.”

Meanwhile, La Mirada shut out Fullerton for a 4-0 victory in the team’s home opener Thursday night. The Matadores improved to 9-3 overall. Sophomore pitcher Alison Ortega threw a complete game and only allowed one hit, while throwing two strikeouts.

“I think that’s something that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life,” La Mirada sophomore catcher Riley Hillard said. “I caught the first pitch. I caught Jennie Finch.”

La Mirada sophomore first baseman Reese Hillard hit a two-run home run, which scored senior shortstop Amanda Urbina (Oregon signee) in the bottom of the third inning.

“My mindset going into the box was I have to get my runner home,” Reese Hillard explained. “I have to produce and make something happen.”

La Mirada added two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth when Reese Hillard and junior pinch runner Bettie Mae Acevedo scored on a fielding error.

Fullerton (7-4) was led by Majam-Finch, who only gave up one hit, while throwing five strikeouts in 4.2 innings.

“It was a big deal and great honor,” Majam-Finch said. “The ceremony before was beautiful and hearing all of her accolades and all of her accomplishments that she has gained throughout her journey playing softball is really motivating and encouraging, especially going into a big game like this.”

Meanwhile, Fullerton coach Trevor Holton believes Majam-Finch handled the moment well.

“I thought it was the best (Malaya) has pitched all year,” Holton said. “She really changed speeds well. She hit her spots and I can’t imagine the expectation that she had and that’s placed on her. She’s a really good kid, doing a great job.”

Indians junior second baseman Analise Barrios got the team’s only hit, when she single in the fifth.

​ Orange County Register 

Sunny Hills boys volleyball sweeps El Dorado to stay unbeaten in Crestview League

• March 14, 2025

FULLERTON — The Sunny Hills boys volleyball team swept El Dorado, 25-13, 25-20, 25-10, on Thursday night to stay unbeaten in Crestview League play.

The Lancers improved to 12-5 overall and 5-0 in league, and coach Albert Soliguen has his sights set high for his team this season.

“Right now we’re shooting for that undefeated league title,” he said. “We want to add another year to our banner and we wanna go past the second round (of CIF-SS playoffs), so my guys are hungry.”

The Lancers were eliminated by El Dorado in five sets in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs last season.

In their first meeting this year, Sunny Hills beat the Golden Hawks in five but the second matchup Thursday was dominated by the Lancers.

Senior opposite Seth Lee (eight kills, three blocks) and senior middle blocker Matthew Barta (five kills, four blocks) provided a huge presence at the net for Sunny Hills.

“He’s adding a lot of offensive power on the oppo side,” Soliguen said of Lee, “helping us convert, helping us create energy, momentum, and really securing a lot of kills, especially under pressure.”

Soliguen also praised Barta’s play.

“We’ve been working a lot on his transitioning,” Soliguen said, “his court presence and just being available at the net. And it really shined this game with him moving around, hitting different sets, to add pressure on the block on the other side. So it really helped out when we were able to get the pass for him so he could put the ball away.”

El Dorado coach Brit Brown felt that her team’s mindset was the difference in the loss.

“It was our mental game,” she said. “We knew coming in here that this is a pretty aggressive gym, pretty aggressive crowd, so we talked about it, but it was all our mental game.”

“We got in our heads,” she added, “psyched ourselves out. We wanted it really bad cause the last one went to five and I think when we messed up. The first few mistakes, we just let it get to us …”

The Golden Hawks (6-12 overall, 0-6 in league) played much better in the second set when Tanner Barber and Ian Dang started supplying good swings from the outside and got within one point but eventually Sunny Hills pulled away.

Soliguen appreciated the way their game plan was executed.

“We kind of capitalized on what we saw,” he said, “and capitalized on the trends that their hitters were showing us and we just stuck to a game plan, right? Served tough, take out the middles and focus on the pins. And we shut down the pins and, you know, it makes the game easier for us.”

​ Orange County Register 

After tough loss, Los Alamitos boys volleyball bounces back with win over Fountain Valley

• March 14, 2025

FOUNTAIN VALEY — Teams often use practices to make adjustments from the previous game and to prepare for the next game.

The Los Alamitos volleyball team did neither going into its Sunset League match against Fountain Valley on Thursday at Fountain Valley High School.

After playing a league match Wednesday, the Griffins were right back on the court and swept the Barons, 25-15, 25-21, 25-20.

The match was moved up from Friday because of a scheduling conflict.

The Griffins (13-5, 1-1) evened their league record after being defeated by Huntington Beach in three sets Wednesday.

Huntington Beach is ranked No. 2 in Orange County behind Newport Harbor.

RELATED: Corona del Mar sweeps Newport Harbor for confidence-boosting league win

The Barons (13-2, 1-1) had swept seven teams in a row coming in. That included a sweep of Marina in its first league match last week.

“Huntington Beach beat us in three but we got some really positive points out of that match,” Los Alamitos coach Tony Panzica said. “We weren’t expecting to win that match, but I think we succeeded on what we wanted to do against Huntington Beach, which brought us to tonight. I think Fountain Valley has some really good athletes out there.”

Sophomore hitter Ben Panzica and junior middle blocker Luke Charlton led the Griffins with 12 and 10 kills, respectively.

Charlie Panzica, Ben’s twin brother, had 11 digs and Dylan Lowenberg served four aces for the Griffins.

A pair of blocks from Charlton followed by a kill from Ben Panzica and then another kill from Charlton gave the Griffins an 11-4 lead in the first set.

Lowenberg served three consecutive aces later in the set to build the lead to 18-7.

Ben Panzica scored on a kill for the final point of the first set.

Fountain Valley put up more of a fight in the next two sets.

Christopher Pham Bryon Nguyen scored on back-to-back kills to get the Barons to within two at 20-18.

But the Barons couldn’t get any closer down the stretch of the set and served long to give the Griffins the winning point in the set.

The Griffins led 23-18 in the third set when Peter Pham and Christopher Pham got the Barons to within three on consecutive kills.

But the comeback attempt ended right there, when the Griffins scored the final two points to win the set and the match.

“We were planning on practicing,” Ben Panzica said. “We were a little tired but you got to do what you got to do to win.”

Corona del Mar boys volleyball earns confidence-boosting sweep of rival Newport Harbor

​ Orange County Register 

Darcy Kuemper, Kings stifle Alex Ovechkin and Capitals

• March 14, 2025

LOS ANGELES — There were more plotlines than goals scored for the Kings and Washington Capitals on Thursday night, but when the final horn sounded, a resounding statement win for the black and silver was the only headline.

They blanked the Eastern Conference leaders, 3-0, with former Cap Darcy Kuemper recording his third shutout as a King this season after being traded for embattled center Pierre-Luc Dubois last summer.

Kuemper’s shutout signified that Alex Ovechkin drew no nearer to Kings legend Wayne Gretzky’s career NHL goals record: The Great 8 remained nine shy of surpassing The Great One and recorded no shots on goal for the first time since Washington’s season opener. It also meant that the fans at Crypto.com Arena heckling Dubois made more noise in the stands than he did on the ice, though Kings coach Jim Hiller said there was no ill will whatsoever toward Dubois inside his dressing room.

With the win, the Kings leapfrogged the Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division, and also chalked up a home victory against each of this year’s Presidents’ Trophy favorites for the NHL’s best record. They beat the West-leading Jets twice, on Nov. 27 at home and Jan. 10 in Winnipeg. On home ice, they are 10-0-0 against the other 11 teams currently occupying a non-wild-card playoff spot in either conference.

“Tonight, we showed we are one of the (top clubs in the NHL), we beat the best team in the league, and I don’t think they had anything,” Kevin Fiala said with emphasis. “The belief is here.”

Warren Foegele scored a goal, his 200th career point. Fiala converted on a critical power play to open the third period and then spoonfed running mate Quinton Byfield for an insurance marker that secured two massive points. Kuemper stopped all 21 shots he faced.

Charlie Lindgren got the nod in net for Washington, making 24 saves.

It was the first return to Los Angeles for Dubois and defenseman Matt Roy since the former was dealt to D.C. and the latter signed in Washington as a free agent. The Kings opted for a combined video tribute in the first period, which swung the crowd’s attention between appreciation for Roy one moment and tempered disdain for Dubois the next.

There was also a mix of jeers and sarcastic cheers in the second period, when Dubois was whistled for a holding penalty, and each touch of the puck by No. 80 prompted a bit of razzing as well. Dubois, however, is still enjoying a career season.

Roy was a seventh-round draft pick that in 2022 was voted the Kings’ best defenseman, while Dubois’ trajectory was the complete opposite. He demanded a hefty sum in terms of both trade assets and contract dollars two offseasons ago, only to disappoint vastly and prompt the Kings to pound the eject button, swapping him for Kuemper.

Thursday, Kuemper allowed the Kings to clog up the game as they went nearly 28 minutes between goals and slowed the pace for most of them, waiting patiently for their early third-period opportunities. Kuemper was asked if Ovechkin’s “GR8 Chase” was on his or his teammates’ minds.

“When it gets down to just a couple to go, it’ll be a little bit more on people’s minds. You never know, but we were confident he wouldn’t get all nine tonight,” Kuemper responded, prompting laughter.

With the game up for grabs heading into the third period, the Kings seized control. They tallied twice, 47 seconds apart, at 1:05 and 1:52, to seal the Caps’ fate and interrupt their string of five straight wins.

One giveaway deserved another as the Kings turned the puck over in the Caps’ zone, only to steal it right back, setting the stage for Fiala’s two-on-one dish for Byfield in the inner part of the right circle for his 16th goal of the season.

“He’s a grown man now, he’s huge and he uses his body. He’s fast, he can shoot the puck, he can pass, he can see the ice and I try to give my creativity to him, talk to him a lot on the bench. It’s great, it’s a give-and-take [relationship],” Fiala said.

Fiala had given the Kings a bit of security with a one-timer from the right circle on the power play from the right faceoff dot, his 25th goal of 2024-25.

In the first 40 minutes of action, the near misses abounded for both teams – Washington’s Taylor Raddysh had another particularly hellish night in terms of puck luck after the same happened in Anaheim during Tuesday’s 7-4 victory over the Ducks – but the Kings escaped with a 1-0 edge.

The Kings got the better of the first period, carrying a one-shot advantage and, more importantly, a one-goal lead into the first intermission, despite having to kill a pair of penalties. The Kings negated 13 straight infractions across two games. They went 8 for 8 on the PK against the New York Islanders on Tuesday and 5 for 5 against the Capitals and Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in man-advantage markers. He seldom if ever touched the puck on Thursday, thanks to what Capitals defenseman John Carlson called a “high-pressure team” while shorthanded.

Foegele picked up his 19th goal of the season, 13:08 after puck dropped. Phil Danault’s slap shot almost went through Lindgren, before Danault and Trevor Moore went to work below the goal line, finding Foegele in front for the game’s first strike.

The Kings will look to extend their surge to five straight wins when the Nashville Predators visit on Saturday.

​ Orange County Register