Andrew Mangiapane increased the lead to 3-0 at 7:28 on the rebound of Jakub Vrana’s shot.
Ovechkin made it 4-0 at 14:34, scoring through the five-hole with a slap shot from above the left circle off a pass from Strome.
Nic Dowd gave the Capitals a 5-0 lead at 14:58 when he knocked in a pass from Trevor van Riemsdyk on the rush.
“We just got down early and they kept coming with the pressure, and we just didn’t bring anything back to the game at that point,” Severson said. “Obviously it’s 5-0 after one. The game definitely wasn’t over, but it was tough to come back from that.”
Severson cut it to 5-1 at 49 seconds of the second period when his wrist shot trickled between Thompson’s pads.
McMichael pushed the Washington lead to 6-1 at 4:51. Tarasov made the initial save on Tom Wilson’s shot from the left circle a 2-on-1, but McMichael banked the rebound in off Columbus defenseman David Jiricek in the crease for his fourth goal in three games.
“The ones we gave up were 3-on-1s, 2-on-1s,” Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson said. “Second wave is what beat us back to the net all night, and you can’t let that happen in the NHL.”
Labanc pulled the Blue Jackets within 6-2 at 14:36 after a video review determined the puck had crossed the line during a scramble in front.
Strome scored with 1:26 remaining in the third period off a pass from Ovechkin for the 7-2 final.
“What I like today is he led the charge from the start,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said of Strome. “I thought his first period was outstanding. And he made not just the two plays he was involved in that result in goals, it was four or five different plays without the puck.”
NOTES: Ovechkin has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his past three games. … Strome leads the Capitals in assists (12) and points (16), and has had at least one point in nine of Washington’s 10 games. … Protas has seven points (three goals, four assists) during a three-game point streak. … Columbus center Sean Kuraly won 11 of 13 face-offs (85 percent). … The Capitals were 0-for-1 on the power play, making the Blue Jackets 13-for-15 on the penalty kill in their past six games.