Johnny Gaudreau scored his first goal since Nov. 2 but the Blue Jackets lost their eighth straight game, falling 4-2 to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| WSH CAPITALS | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
1st Period
A mostly low-event first period was highlighted by Alex Ovechkin's right-circle shot that hit the post at 17:34.
The teams were tied at zero after the first period with Columbus leading 9-7 in shots on goal.
2nd Period
Gaudreau opened the scoring at 3:27 with a slap shot from the slot after the Blue Jackets were able to cycle in the Capitals zone.
Good cycling here from #CBJ leads to Gaudreau (13) taking the space given to him and firing a blast from the slot. #CBJ 1-0 WSH https://t.co/hA521BvJpm
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 19, 2023
After Aliaksei Protas' centering feed to Sonny Milano caught Elvis Merzlikins out of position, Milano scored on an open net from the bottom of the left circle to tie the game at 5:05.
Protas (21) centering pass catches Merzlikins (90) totally out of position as Milano (15) finds the back of an open net from the bottom of the left circle. #CBJ 1-1 WSH pic.twitter.com/6JoEW4DE84
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 19, 2023
Protas gave Washington the lead at 13:16 off the rush with a wicked left-circle wrist shot.
This is just a sweet shot from Protas (21) from the left circle. #CBJ 1-2 WSH https://t.co/f3JLO2PwHU
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 19, 2023
Ovechkin made the Blue Jackets pay for leaving him wide open in the slot, as he beat Merzlikins to double Washington's lead at 15:47 following Columbus' defensive-zone breakdown.
A lot of bad here. #CBJ Werenski (8) gets the puck taken from him by Strome (17), who attracts Laine (29) before he finds a wide-open Ovechkin (8) in the slot. CBJ 1-3 WSH https://t.co/vkmrUGaQRy
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 19, 2023
Washington took a 3-1 lead into the third period while trailing 20-17 in shots on goal.
3rd Period
Ivan Provorov cut the Washington lead in half after Cole Sillinger's goalmouth shot hit the post and found its way to Provorov, who finished from the left doorstep.
#CBJ Sillinger's (4) shot from the goalmouth hits the post and careens out to Provorov (9), who's able to score from the left doorstep. CBJ 2-3 WSH https://t.co/UKCy6ljDCz
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 19, 2023
After Patrik Laine turned the puck over in the offensive zone, Hendrix Lapierre beat Merzlikins with a backhand shot on a mini breakaway at 13:34.
A bad offensive-zone giveaway from #CBJ Laine (29) leads to Milano (15) finding Lapierre (29), who scores on the mini breakaway. CBJ 2-4 WSH https://t.co/ZMWHmRKaPg
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 19, 2023
Justin Danforth answered for the Jackets at 15:48, dispatching the rebound from Sean Kuraly's shot past Charlie Lindgren from the doorstep.
#CBJ Danforth (5) goal pic.twitter.com/ROjl9iLal8
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 19, 2023
The Jackets couldn't find the equalizer and fell to 4-10-4.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: CBJ 36-28 WSH
- Face-off %: CBJ 48.6-51.4 WSH
- Power play: CBJ 0/3-0/2 WSH
- Giveaways: CBJ 8-17 WSH
- Takeaways: CBJ 6-14 WSH
- Blocked shots: CBJ 16-19 WSH
- Hits: CBJ 17-18 WSH
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 2.94-1.45 WSH
- Shot Attempts (CF): CBJ 58-45 WSH
- Shots on Goal (SF): CBJ 26-22 WSH
- Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 28-18 WSH
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 10-8 WSH
Injury Update
Jack Roslovic was placed on IR on Monday and is out for four to six weeks with a broken ankle.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets are back in action on Sunday in Philadelphia to take on the Flyers at 5:30 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
The club returns home to face Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
