The Blue Jackets completed the home portion of the preseason slate with a 4-3 loss Tuesday night to the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena. Columbus is now 2-4-0 in the preseason with one game to go.
Game in a Paragraph
In an odd game that featured two Washington goals that went in off CBJ players and a third directly off a turnover, Columbus carried long stretches of play – they outshot the Caps by a 38-23 margin – but couldn’t beat Logan Thompson enough times to pull even. Washington led 2-0 after one and 4-2 after two, and a third-period push fell short for a CBJ lineup that was near full strength.
CBJ Standouts
- Captain Boone Jenner notched a pair of power-play goals in the second period.
- For the second time in as many preseason games, Zach Werenski earned a pair of assists and played a game-high 25:35.
- Mathieu Olivier scored in the third period for his second preseason tally in three games.
Quote of the Game
Jenner: “There were times tonight where there were some good minutes, but obviously some things we want to work on. We’re giving up a little too much right now; more than we’d like. Obviously they got a couple bounces, but we can play a little quicker and a little bit more to us. Hopefully we can ramp it up even more the next game.”
How It Happened
The Blue Jackets put 17 shots on goal in the opening frame but were down 2-0 through 20 minutes thanks to a pair of goals deflected past Jet Greaves. Washington got on the board first 8:25 into the game when defenseman David Gucciardi’s shot from the left point went through a screen, tipped off Connor McMichael and went in. The Caps made it a two-goal lead with 2:35 left on the power play as Andrew Cristall’s centering feed went off the skate of Dante Fabbro and through the legs of Greaves. On the other end, Thompson stood tall, including point-blank stops on Sean Monahan, Dmitri Voronkov and Kent Johnson.
The second period featured plenty of action with four goals – two for each side – and a fight. Columbus scored a pair of power-play tallies, starting at 7:52 when Jenner put the rebound of a Johnson shot off the backside of Thompson and in. Washington increased its lead to 3-1 at 10:10 as Ilya Protas’ centering pass on a 2-on-1 deflected off Damon Severson’s stick and got past Greaves. Jenner scored again just 46 seconds later, tipping Werenski's shot past Thompson just four seconds into a CBJ power play, but Tom Wilson poked the puck off Dante Fabbro’s stick past Greaves at 13:36 to make it 4-2. Twenty seconds later, Wilson completed his Gordie Howe hat trick when he dropped the gloves with Erik Gudbranson.
Columbus outshot the Caps by a 12-6 margin in the third and drew back to 4-3 with 7:37 to go when Severson cut to the middle of the ice and unleashed a shot that Thompson fought off, but Olivier was there to whack at the rebound until it trickled through the goalie’s pads and in the net. The Blue Jackets had some chances down the stretch – a clean look by Monahan on a late power play and a rebound scramble in the dying seconds – but couldn’t find the tying goal.
Notable
Columbus scored two power-play goals for the second straight home game and is now 5-for-20 (25.0 percent) this preseason on the man advantage. ... Greaves made a sterling 2-on-0 save on Washington forward Sheldon Rempal late in the second, coming back to his left to smother the shot. He finished with 19 saves while Thompson had 35. ... Wilson and McMichael each had a goal and an assist for the Caps.
Roster Report
Here is the roster the Blue Jackets used for the contest. It was a dress rehearsal game for the Jackets, with nearly a full roster – sans the banged-up Kirill Marchenko – on the ice. Defenseman Denton Mateychuk made his preseason debut after battling through a groin injury early in camp.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets will have their final preseason game Saturday when they head to DC to take on the Caps on the road. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m., with the game being streamed on BlueJackets.com as well as ESPN+ and NHL Center Ice.
