WASHINGTON — It's easy to see just how big a part Pierre-Luc Dubois has played in the Washington Capitals' identity since arriving last May, and Friday was just further proof.

Dubois, in his third game back from injury, again pulled the Capitals into the fight with two goals and an assist, and Logan Thompson came in clutch to shut things down en route to a close 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Here are the takeaways as Washington captures its third straight win to remain within two points of a playoff spot.

With Pierre-Luc Dubois' return from injury has also come the return of the Capitals' identity.

Dubois got the Capitals going in Friday's contest, scoring two goals in a span of 2:34 to make it a 2-0 game over the Golden Knights.

The 27-year-old scored his first goal off a nice passing play, where he finished it off by floating a high shot past Akira Schmid. minutes later, he got to the front and buried a feed from Aliaksei Protas past Schmid for his second of the night.

He wasn't done there, though, as he helped cycle the puck and set up Jakob Chychrun for a one-timer from the right circle to extend Washington's lead late in the middle frame.

Ultimately, Dubois ended the night with two goals, an assist and a team-leading six shots. He now has five points through three games since returning from a lower-body injury and subsequent adduction surgery surgery.

It's not just the production, though, that's been vital for the Capitals' resurgence; he's playing a shutdown role on the top-6 again and brings stability and consistency back to the line combinations, allowing coach Spencer Carbery to deploy his desired units for the first time arguably all season.

After going up in the second, the Capitals got the chance to extend their lead and add to their momentum with multiple power-play opportunities. Instead, they had the opposite effect.

Washington went 0-for-5 on the power play, and frustration grew visible, with Alex Ovechkin slamming his stick and kicking the bench after the team came up empty on the man advantage.

From there, the Golden Knights were able to rally in the third. Braeden Bowman got behind the defense and jumped to a bouncing puck in front before tucking a quick shot past Logan Thompson, and minutes later, the Capitals penalty kill gave up a goal after Tomas Hertl's bid went off of Matt Roy's skate and in.

Vegas gave the Capitals a run for their money in the final frame, piling on the shots astime winded down. Ultimately, it was Logan Thompson who came up with a number of critical stops en route to the victory.

Thompson made a number of notable stops, including shutting down Brayden McNabb and Mitch Marner on shorthanded breakaways with just over three minutes to go in regulation time.

The 29-year-old netminder finished the night with 24 saves on 26 shots, and now has three straight wins and a .936 save percentage over the month of February while shining once again against his former team.

Playing in his 600th career NHL game, Jakob Chychrun continued his memorable run while serving as the catalyst the team's needed on offense with John Carlson out of the mix.

Chychrun was moving the puck well all night, and scored his 22nd goal of the season en route to the win. His goal extends his point streak to three games, and his 22 goals this season lead all NHL defensemen. They're also the most by any Capitals blueliner in a single season since Mike Green's 31-goal campaign in 2008-09.

The 27-year-old has 12 points in his last nine games overall.

- The Duhaime-Dowd-Frank line was impressive, especially Duhaime, who has looked strong coming out of the Olympic break as he gets back to his game.

- Martin Fehervary had an impressive night and showed why he's one of the NHL's tops hutdown defensemen; in the third, he came up with a huge backcheck, speeding back and tying up Jack Eichel to deny the U.S. gold medalist a chance on the breakaway with the game 3-1 in the third.

- After a not-so-easy start to the season, Aliaksei Protas has gotten his groove back. He has points in five of the last six games, and three of those are multi-point outings. Protas is on pace to finish with another 55-point campaign.

- Rasmus Sandin has points in back-to-back games and three of the last five overall.