Washington Capitals Blow Late Lead, Fall 5-4 to Columbus
The Washington Capitals fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday after blowing a lead late in the third.
The Washington Capitals squandered a late 4-3 lead, losing to the Columbus Blue Jackets by a final of 5-4 in a shootout. This marks the first time all season that the Capitals have lost consecutive games.
The Blue Jackets got on the board early, which set the tone scoring-wise for the rest of the first period. Jack Johnson put home a rebound past a sprawling Braden Holtby to put Columbus up 1-0, a power play goal resulting from a slashing minor on Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov. The Washington Capitals got their own power play when Boone Jenner was called for tripping 7:04 into the period. T.J. Oshie blasted one home past Jackets’ netminder Curtis McElhinney, the culmination of a nice passing play involving Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson.
44 seconds later, Brandon Saad found himself completely alone in front of Holtby, receiving a pass before putting the puck into the net following a nice deke that beat the Capitals’ goaltender. A little less than four minutes later, the new-found secret weapon on the Capitals power play, Jason Chimera, struck gold on the man advantage. Evgeny Kuznetsov, for the second time in three games, threaded the needle on a pinpoint passing play that didn’t even require the Capitals goal scorer to move his stick. The teams headed into intermission knotted up at two.
The Washington Capitals received an early second period power play, but just eight seconds in, William Karlsson beat Holtby on a two-on-one shorthanded break. However, luck was on the Capitals side as Barry Trotz challenged the goal, claiming that there should have been an offsides call as the Blue Jackets entered the zone. This challenge was successful, and the score remained tied at two.
Tom Wilson continued his strong game with a brilliant pass across the crease to a waiting Marcus Johansson, who redirected the puck past McElhinney 16:07 into the second to give the Capitals their first lead of the game. The third line of Chimera, Johansson and Wilson looked good for the majority of the period. Two flashy glove saves by the Jackets netminder kept the score close as the period went on.
There was a scary moment for the injury-riddled Caps late in the frame, as Holtby was struck up high by the stick of Marcus Foligno as he pressed on the forecheck. There was no penalty on the play. Holtby was down on the ice in evident pain for several moments, but remained in the game to close out the second. Oshie sent the puck over the glass from the defensive zone for delay of game 4:15 into the third, giving Columbus another power play. Jack Johnson struck for his second goal of the game, blasting one from the point through a screened Holtby, tying the game at 3. Less than a minute later, Wilson fed Kuznetsov in the slot, who went to his backhand to beat a sliding McElhinney, giving the Capitals their second lead of the game.
More from Capitals News
- Breaking down the Rookie Camp roster
- Hear what Magic Johnson said about Alex Ovechkin
- Capitals announce Rookie Camp schedule
- Breaking down the 2023-24 Capitals national TV schedule
- Capitals Alumni Weekend is coming back
The Blue Jackets would net go without a fight. Saad scored his second of the game on a backhander with 1:08 remaining after Columbus pulled McElhinney, tying the game. Neither team would score for the rest of regulation, and the game would head to overtime.
Just 55 seconds into overtime, Curtis McElhinney fell awkwardly in the crease, and was helped off of the ice. Anton Forsberg would enter the game for Columbus, in his first NHL appearance of the season. Evgeny Kuznetsov took it himself from the neutral zone to the net, showing off an incredible burst of speed and drawing a slash in the process. A power play would ensure for Washington. The Capitals couldn’t convert, and then Kuznetsov took a penalty of his own, giving the Jackets a power play for the remaining 29.6 seconds. A couple of blocked shots later, and the game would head to a shootout. T.J. Oshie scored on a beautiful move, but that was all Washington could muster. Goals by Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Johansen would seal the deal for Columbus, as Nick Backstrom failed to extend the shootout on his final try.
More capitals: 2015: A Year To Remember For Capitals
The Washington Capitals play next on Wednesday, where they will face off with an injury-riddled Boston Bruins squad.