The Capitals got their revenge for the 8-4 loss they suffered on home ice late Friday night by downing the Blue Jackets by a 3-2 score Monday night.
Game in a Paragraph
Washington used goals at the start and end of the second period to defeat Columbus at Nationwide Arena. Former Blue Jacket Pierre-Luc Dubois scored the game-winning goal and recorded an assist for the Capitals. Columbus pushed in the third period but couldn't find the equalizer despite a late goal to pull within one.
Quote of the Game
Head coach Dean Evason: “Our fight has been good, our battle has been good and our desire has been good from day one.”
CBJ Standouts
- Denton Mateychuk scored his second goal of the preseason as he continues to battle for an opening night spot.
- Daniil Tarasov played in all 60 minutes and stopped 23 of the Capitals’ 26 shots in the game.
- Sean Monahan recorded his first assist in his second game of this preseason.
- Luca Del Bel Belluz scored his first of the preseason in the third to pull the Jackets within a goal.
How It Happened
Caps forward Nic Dowd opened the scoring at 6:49 of the first as he skated through the slot of the Blue Jackets’ defensive zone and went bardown on Tarasov. The Blue Jackets answered back swiftly to make it a 1-1 game as Mateychuk tied things up with a snipe of his own from the left circle just 23 seconds after the Capitals goal.
Only 48 seconds into the second period, the Capitals reclaimed their lead on a deflection goal by Tom Wilson. The initial shot on the goal was by Trevor van Riemsdyk, brother of Columbus’ newest addition James van Riemsdyk. After a boarding penalty on Marchenko and a high-sticking penalty on Gudbranson late in the period, Dubois capitalized off of the 5-on-3 opportunity and scored with 0.2 seconds remaining to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead heading into the third.
McKown got behind the defense but could not score on his one-on-one with Caps goalie Logan Thompson as he lost his footing and ran into the netminder. The play was followed by a scrum which resulted in a power play for Washington. Thompson also stopped another breakaway midway through the period on Werenski to keep his team's two-goal lead. Del Bel Belluz gave some hope for the Jackets faithful as he sniped one with 5:02 remaining in the third period, but the Blue Jackets could not convert on the 6-on-5 that ensued, ending the game at 3-2.
Notable
Shots were dead even at 26 apiece, including 10-2 in favor of the Jackets in the third. … Both van Riemsdyks got on the score sheet, as James assisted on Del Bel Belluz's third-period goal. ... Kirill Marchenko and Jake Christiansen also notched assists for the CBJ.
Roster Report
Here is the roster the Blue Jackets used for the contest. The Blue Jackets’ lineup was a blend of veterans and prospects/depth pieces looking to make a push for a roster spot. CBJ defenseman Erik Gudbranson left the game in the third period, leaving the Blue Jackets with five defensemen to finish out the game. Evason said it was for precautionary measures.
Up Next
Columbus is back on the road Tuesday as the Jackets head to St. Louis to take on the Blues at 8 p.m.
