Washington 6, Columbus 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 5, 2023
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees:
Brandon Blandina, Trevor Hanson
Linesmen:
Michel Cormier, Brad Kovachik
Attendance:
17924
By Field Level Media
T.J. Oshie scored two goals and the visiting Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 on Thursday night.
Alex Ovechkin scored his seventh goal in four games for the Capitals, who are 7-0-2 in their past nine games and 12-2-3 in their past 17. Dylan Strome had three assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves. Washington has won a franchise-record seven straight road games.
Johnny Gaudreau and Gavin Bayreuther scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost nine of their past 10 games while being outscored 37-16. Emil Bemstrom had two assists, and Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves.
The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead at 5:19 of the first period when Gaudreau blocked Nicolas Aube-Kubel's clearing attempt and then knocked the loose puck over Kuemper's shoulder.
Oshie tied it 1-1 when he got to a loose puck in the slot and wristed it past Merzlikins at 1:51 of the second period.
Oshie was playing his second game after missing six games with an upper-body injury.
Aube-Kubel's strong individual effort led to his first goal as a Capital. He picked up a turnover in the neutral zone, cut back into the Columbus zone, went to the net and scored to make it 2-1 at 11:15.
Bayreuther's left point shot eluded Kuemper on his glove side at 12:59 to tie the score 2-2.
The Capitals took a 3-2 lead when Strome's shot bounced off Martin Fehervary's helmet and into the net for a goal at 17:20.
Garnet Hathaway converted a pass from Anthony Mantha behind the goal line to put the Capitals ahead 4-2 with 1:03 left in the second period.
Bayreuther appeared to pull the Blue Jackets within 4-3 early in the third period, but Washington challenged the goal and the play was ruled offside after a video review.
The Capitals extended their lead to 5-2 when Oshie knocked in the rebound of Strome's shot on a power play at 6:41. Ovechkin scored on a one-timer off a pass from Strome on a power play to make 6-2 at 13:05.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Washington |
|
Columbus |
Dylan Strome 3 |
Points |
Emil Bemstrom 2 |
T.J. Oshie 2 |
Goals |
Gavin Bayreuther 1 |
Dylan Strome 3 |
Assists |
Emil Bemstrom 2 |
T.J. Oshie 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Darcy Kuemper .926 |
Save Percentage |
Elvis Merzlikins .838 |
Darcy Kuemper 25 |
Saves |
Elvis Merzlikins 31 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Washington
|
37 |
6 |
2-2 |
1-1 |
4 |
32 |
Columbus
|
27 |
2 |
0-1 |
0-2 |
6 |
17 |
Upcoming Games
-
Columbus will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .273 after a win and .308 after a loss.
-
Washington will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Capitals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .579 after a loss.