With their most prolific first period in more than 16 years, the Caps quickly removed any of the drama over whether they’d extend their home winning streak to six on Saturday against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets. Washington erupted for five goals in the first period, and it rolled to a 7-2 win over the Jackets.
Playing their 10th game of the still young season, the Capitals had eighth three-goal period of the season before the midpoint of the opening frame – they had 16 such periods all of last season – and all four Washington lines were on the scoreboard before the second television timeout of the first period.
Facing a Jackets team that played at home the night before, and coming in off an off day on Friday, Caps’ coach Spencer Carbery stressed the importance of a strong start, and the Caps more than complied.
“That was exactly what we talked about pregame, for a couple of reasons,” says Carbery. “They're a really good first period team, them playing [Friday] night, us coming off of the way that we played in the third period of the Montreal game, and then also with the off day [on Friday].
“It was a little bit odd; a lot of guys didn’t skate this morning, so it's a day and a half [since they’ve been on the ice. And so we really wanted to pay attention to our start – like you do most nights – but I think it was extra emphasized today. And man, we started on time, and our execution was as good as I've ever seen. It was really impressive. And obviously, it determines the outcome of the game."
As Carbery notes, the Caps started right on time, and the offensive pyrotechnics started almost as quickly. The Caps were on the board before the game was a minute old. Washington’s top line struck on its first shift, with Aliaksei Protas finishing at the 56-second mark; the short sharp passes he and Dylan Strome exchanged down low prior to the finish twisted Columbus goaltender Daniil Tarasov, signaling the start of a difficult night.
Less than a minute later, Connor McMichael converted a Rasmus Sandin feed on a 2-on-1, giving the Caps two goals on as many shots, and a 2-0 lead at 1:42 of the first.
Ahead of the midpoint of the period, the Caps struck for a third time, scoring off the rush. Hendrix Lapierre fed Jakub Vrana on the right wing, and Vrana issued a nifty pass off pad, with Andrew Mangiapane finishing against the beleaguered Tarasov.
Alex Ovechkin notched career goal No. 859 at 14:34, and Nic Dowd made it a 5-0 game just 24 seconds later, finishing a Trevor van Riemsdyk feed at the net front.
The five-goal first-period outburst was the Caps’ biggest since they opened a six-pack in the first frame of a 10-2 win over the Bruins here on March 3, 2008.
The difficult part of a game like this – for both teams – is that the final 40 minutes have to be played. The Jackets were playing for pride, and the Caps were merely trying to get through the final two periods without cheating for more offense and while retaining their structure.
As expected, Columbus struck back in the second, sandwiching a pair of goals around McMichael’s second goal of the night.
Before the middle period was a minute old, Jackets’ defenseman Damon Severson squeezed off a shot that got through Caps’ goaltender Logan Thompson a few seconds after Columbus won a draw in the offensive zone.
McMichael got that one back for Washington at 4:51 of the second, banking a shot off Columbus blueliner David Jiricek from below the goal line.
Late in the frame, Columbus winger Kevin Labanc scored his first goal as a member of the Blue Jackets on a goalmouth scramble, though it took a video review to confirm its legitimacy. The Caps considered a challenge, but wisely deferred, not wanting to face a Columbus power play if the call didn’t go their way.
In the third, Thompson and the Capitals kept the Jackets quiet, and Strome struck for his fourth goal of the season with less than two minutes remaining to account for the 7-2 final.
With a strong 34-save effort, Thompson recorded his fifth win in as many starts as a member of the Capitals.
“It was a tough start, obviously,” says Jackets’ coach Dean Evason. “We got a couple of bad breaks early, and when things are going sideways or not going so well – obviously – a couple bad breaks compounds and certainly makes it a lot tougher for the group to come back."
