What We Learned: WSH 4, CBJ 1

Welcome back to square one.
Four games into their Eastern Conference First Round series, the Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals are tied 2-2 after the Capitals' 4-1 victory Thursday at Nationwide Arena, the first game in the series that didn't go to overtime.
Neither has won either of their first two home games, which is exactly what Capitals star left wing Alex Ovechkin predicted earlier this week, when he said the series would return to Washington, D.C. for Game 5 tied.
"It's a series," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "We did not have a good 60 minutes tonight, but we're not down in the series. So, wipe it clean. It's a three-game series now."

The next installment is Saturday in Game 5 at Capital One Arena (3 p.m., NBC, 97.1 FM), where the first two games were won in overtime by the Blue Jackets.
They'll have to come up with another road victory to avoid losing three straight games and coming back here for Game 6 facing elimination. Another performance like this isn't going to get it done, either.
The Blue Jackets bobbled passes, turned the puck over and couldn't establish any sustained time in the offensive zone for most of the first period. They also fell behind 1-0 on a goal by Tom Wilson at 6:16 of the first, which was the fourth straight time Columbus allowed the first goal.
T.J. Oshie made it 2-0 on a power play at 9:19 of the second and Ovechkin scored his third goal in the series to make it 3-0 at 2:49 of the third, putting the Blue Jackets in a hole they couldn't escape.
Boone Jenner scored at 6:22 of the third, cutting the margin to 3-1, but it didn't spark a comeback. The Capitals outplayed the Jackets in the parts of the game where it mattered most and take all the momentum in the series back home to the nation's capital.
It was stunning to see things unfold like this for Columbus, which hadn't been outplayed like that since before the Feb. 26 NHL Trade Deadline, when the Blue Jackets added catalyst veterans Thomas Vanek, Mark Letestu and Ian Cole to the roster.
"There's no reason for us to lay an egg so to speak, like tonight, where we just weren't as sharp and executing and dialed-in as we need to be, especially at home," captain Nick Foligno said. "It seems like the home rink isn't too kind right now in the series. Hopefully we can jump on them in their barn again. We know we can play better and will play better, there's no doubt about that. It's just disappointing it happened tonight."
It's disappointing for several reasons, but especially because of the support shown by Blue Jackets fans both games. The building was packed to capacity in both games this week, with a record 19,337 watching the Capitals' double-overtime win Tuesday and a new record set Thursday with 19,395.
There were "CBJ!" chants throughout the games. There were 19,000 seats covered with gray and Union blue playoff T-shirts, spelling out "#CBJ" on each side of the rink. There was a pregame show with on-ice projections, set to music intended to fire up the crowd.
There just weren't any wins. And now, the series is tied with three games left.
"Would we have liked to get something done at home?" Tortorella said. "Great building, both nights, and you come up empty. Guys like to perform. They want to make the fans happy. I feel for them that way, but let's just forget about it and get to our next game. We'll have a good practice [Friday], bang it around, get our hands back and go play an afternoon game [Saturday]."
Here's what we learned:
I: PLAYING TIGHT
Passing was a problem for the Jackets most of the game. Some of their passes were off-target, others were on-target but bobbled and still others didn't connect because they were intercepted by the Capitals.
It was a telltale sign of nervousness on the part of the Blue Jackets, who struggled moving the puck up the ice in the first half of the game and couldn't sustain much time in the offensive zone.
"For some reason, you could see it from the first shift, right into our early power play [34 second into the game]," Tortorella said. "We looked nervous, right on through. I don't know why."
Players said it felt that way on the ice, which was surprising to both Blue Jackets players and coaches.
"We had problems making plays, period," Tortorella said. "It was just a struggle. That's called a good, old-fashioned laying an egg, right on through our lineup. It was unexpected. It happens. We've just got to move by it, get ready for our next game."
II: 'BREAD' BOXED
Artemi Panarin didn't have a point, which was the first time that's happened since Mar. 24 against the St. Louis Blues in the regular season.
Following that game, Panarin had multiple points in his next eight games, including the first three games of this series. He had 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in his final five regular-season games and seven points (two goals, five assists) in the first three games of the series - including the overtime game-winner in Game 1 last week.
The Capitals did a much better job of hemming him in Thursday, along with slowing down linemates Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson - whose string of games with a point ended after 12 games, including the first three in this series.
"We didn't shadow him or anything," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "We just played a solid team game, and when you play a solid team game you can eliminate a lot of difference-makers, if you will. Everybody was connected. All five guys on the ice, I thought, were pretty connected for us tonight."
Panarin also took two penalties, which was rare considering his 26 penalty minutes in 81 games this season and 49 minutes in 243 career NHL games.
Panarin only spent more than two minutes in the penalty box once during the regular season, when he was called for two minors on the same play (hooking and high-sticking) in the Blue Jackets' 1-0 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 9 at Nationwide Arena.
"We actually didn't change anything," Panarin said through an interpreter. "The game was the same we used to play before. Every period we were trying to come out and do our best. This time, it didn't happen. I hope next game it will be much better."
III: THE HOLTBY FACTOR
Other than having a stellar resume and eye for stylish hats, Holtby is also known for playing the puck outside the crease.
It can be an advantage for a team if a goalie is able to get to pucks behind the net and quickly get them up the ice to defensemen looking for breakouts from the defensive zone. Pucks sent in deep in the offenisive zone, intended to allow forecheckers to pin defensemen deep in the zone, must be placed perfectly outside the areas goalie are allowed to play the puck.
Otherwise, goalies like Holtby can turn into pseudo defensemen, hitting teammates with stretch passes to create rush attempts.
"That's something that we need to focus on a little bit more," Foligno said. "When we dump it now, he's able to make plays. Their [defensemen] don't have to go back for pucks, which doesn't allow us to get our forecheck going. We can be a little smarter there for sure."
IV: LATE START
The Capitals controlled the puck and action from the opening puck-drop through the first 15 minutes, taking the 1-0 lead on Wilson's second goal of the series.
Through the first 13 minutes of the game, Washington had the lead, took nearly 70 percent of all shot attempts and had an 8-4 edge in shots. The Blue Jackets struggled passing, to start the game and had trouble getting set up in the Capitals' zone. They spent too much time defending in their own end of the ice.
"We want to score the first one, obviously," Jenner said. "It hasn't been like that, but I think our starts have been there. Tonight, I don't think it was. That first period, we didn't get much pressure on them and kind of played into their hands a little bit."
Things begam to change in the final five-plus minutes of the first, but Columbus couldn't get a tying goal before time ran out. The Capitals, who've scored the first goal in all four games, went up 2-0 on Oshie's goal in the second.
Washington outshot the Blue Jackets 12-7 in the first and has outshot Columbus in all four first periods. The Capitals hold a combined 51-28 edge in first-period shots in the series, outshooting the Blue Jackets by an average of 13-7.
V: VINTAGE 'BOB'
The good news for the Jackets is Bobrovsky held them in the game through the first two periods. Despite playing every period of the first three games, including four OT periods, he was strong again.
Bobrovsky was unable to corral a rebound in the second, which led directly to Oshie's goal, and simply missed Ovechkin's wrister to the short side in the third, but the Capitals swarmed his crease all game. Bobrovsky made a number of big stops to keep Washington from scoring in the first two periods, while the Blue Jackets were getting outshot 25-15.
One of his best happened 5:26 into the second period, when Wilson got an uncontested rush off a turnover in the neutral zone. He deked to the backhand, but Bobrovsky wasn't fooled, sliding over and making a save with his right pad to keep the Capitals' lead 1-0.
Bobrovsky also stonewalled Ovechkin's breakaway in the third with a great glove save.

VI: A BOOM FROM BOONE
Jenner was close to scoring a couple times in the first two periods but came up empty. He finally got one past Holtby at 6:22 of the third by tipping a slap shot from Josh Anderson into the net for his first goal of the playoffs.
It was his sixth career postseason goal in his 15th playoff game.
"We're just looking for that next test on Saturday," he said. "We want to be better, we know we've got to be better and that's what we're looking forward to."

VII: OWNING THE DOTS
It was a rough night in a lot of areas for the Blue Jackets, but the face-off dots were especially tough. The Capitals won 64 percent of the game's 56 draws (36-for-56), led by fourth-line center Jay Beagle's 82 percent win rate (14-for-17).
Beagle won most of his own face-offs, but he's also been deployed as a specialist of sorts, asked to take key draws against Dubois, the Jackets' rookie pivot. Beagle went 6-for-6 against Dubois and 4-of-4 against Mark Letestu, the Blue Jackets' fourth-line center.
He also went 1-fot-1 against Foligno and 3-for-5 against Jenner. His lone defeat was against Brandon Dubinsky, the Jackets' best at winning face-offs. Foligno had a rough night taking draws, going 2-of-14 for just 14 percent.
NEXT UP
The series continues in Game 5 on Saturday at Capital One Arena (3 p.m., NBC, 97.1 FM).