Road trips are supposed to be fun, but this one was anything but that.
In the finale of their four-game road trip, the Blue Jackets succumbed to their fourth-straight loss, this one at the hands of the Washington Capitals. In those four games, the Blue Jackets were outscored 18-6.
The Capitals got the scoring started in the first period. Aliaksei Protas scored his second of the season on a rebound just over four-and-a-half minutes into the game. The contest remained scoreless for the rest of the first period, but the Blue Jackets were giving the Capitals too many chances.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| CAPITALS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Then, Alex Ovechkin did what he does. Three minutes and change into the second period, he ripped one past Daniil Tarasov to double the Capitals' advantage. It was Ovechkin's 750th goal of his illustrious career, and his 20th of the year. John Carlson notched the lone assist. The Blue Jackets mustered just three shots on goal in the middle frame, while allowing 13.
To their credit, the Blue Jackets came out with a push in the third, and they were rewarded. Justin Danforth found Eric Robinson with a great pass, and Robinson buried the puck past Capitals netminder Ilya Samsonov to cut Washington's lead in half. Unfortunately, that was as close as the Blue Jackets would get. Garnet Hathaway added an empty-netter to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead, and they wouldn't relinquish it.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets will return home for Sunday's tilt against the San Jose Sharks. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 p.m. ET.
