PREVIEW: Blue Jackets get right back at it in Washington

Saturday in Florida, the Blue Jackets got drawn into the kind of game they likely didn’t want to play.

On the road against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the last thing the Blue Jackets were looking for was a run-and-gun affair, but that’s what the game turned into. There were penalties galore, momentum swings and lots of goals, and the end result was a 7-6 loss in overtime when Sam Bennett scored with 3.2 seconds left on the clock.

It was another missed opportunity to put a win in the bank, though the Blue Jackets did get points for the 12th time in the last 14 games and remain just five points out of first in the Metropolitan Division. And circumstances were not exactly ideal, as the Blue Jackets had a goal overturned by review, lost a challenge on a Panthers tally that led to a Florida power-play goal, and generally felt hard done by the result.

But there were also enough lapses in key moments that another third-period lead went by the wayside in what was one of the wilder games of the season.

“It’s kind of a track meet out there,” forward Cole Sillinger said. “We had a lead, they tied it, had another lead, they tied it. It kind of felt like it was anyone’s game, but I felt like we were in the driver’s seat. It was our game to kind of lose, if that makes sense, and unfortunately they got two points and we got one.”

The good news is the Blue Jackets keep racking up points and have an opportunity to get more against a division opponent tonight in Washington. There’s no time to stew over what happened in Florida as the schedule demands an immediate response against the first-place Caps tonight.

“That’s the beauty of the NHL,” Sillinger said. “There’s not much time to dwell on the past or to think about yesterday or anything like that. Once we get on the bus and get on the plane, our focus is going to be Washington. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure we give ourselves the best chance to get two points there.”

Head coach Dean Evason has praised his team throughout the season for the fact it shows up each night and works hard, and Saturday was no different. As a result, he expects the same tonight, even if the team is frustrated with the way things unfolded in South Florida.

“Our guys are great,” Evason said. “They’ll be good tomorrow night. We’ll play hard. We played hard all night (against Florida). We played great.”

Scratches: F Zach Aston-Reese, D Jake Christiansen

Injured reserve/Non-Roster: F Mathieu Olivier (upper body injury), D Erik Gudbranson (upper body injury), F Boone Jenner (upper body injury)

Roster Report: The Blue Jackets will not hold a morning skate before the game, so any changes to the lineup will be discussed pregame, though it seems likely Greaves gets the start in the second half of the back-to-back.

This Day in CBJ History

Dec. 7, 2002: The Blue Jackets’ only win in six tries on this date in franchise history was a 4-2 victory at Los Angeles in 2002. Derrick Walser scored the game-winning power-play goal early in the third before Tyler Wright’s empty-net goal sealed it, while Rick Nash and Ray Whitney also tallied.

Dec. 7, 2011: Craig Patrick is named senior advisor, hockey operations of the Jackets.

The Numbers Game

Riding a five-game point streak (2-7-9), Zach Werenski remains tied for second among NHL defensemen in goals (nine), is second in points (30), is first in shots on goal (105), places second in average ice time (26:41) and is first in multipoint games (10). He has points in 11 of the last 12 games (5-14-19) and is tied for third in the NHL in scoring in that span. ... Sean Monahan has three goals and three assists in the last four games. … Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 22 goals this season, tied with Washington for the most in the NHL. … Jet Greaves has posted a 4-0-4 record and .907 save percentage in his last eight starts. ... Denton Mateychuk’s six goals tie for fifth among NHL defensemen. ... Miles Wood has points in six of the last nine games, posting a 4-4-8 line. ... Isac Lundeström scored his first goal with Columbus against the Panthers, while Damon Severson had his first power-play goal as a Blue Jacket. … Dmitri Voronkov notched his 100th career point yesterday afternoon. … Wood is one goal from 100 in his NHL career. ... The Blue Jackets have points in 12 of the last 14 games (6-2-6).

Know The Foe: Washington Capitals

Head coach: Spencer Carbery (Third season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.48 (2nd) | Scoring defense: 2.48 (2nd)| PP: 16.7 percent (23rd) | PK: 74.4 percent (28th)

The narrative: You could be forgiven if you thought the Caps’ run among the NHL elite was over. The retirements of Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie marked the end of an era in DC, and Washington didn’t win a playoff series in the six seasons after capturing the 2018 Stanley Cup. Then came last year’s renaissance in which Alex Ovechkin set the NHL’s all-time goals record, the Capitals coasted to the Metropolitan Division title and won their opening series vs. Montreal. A recent hot streak has the Caps right back in the running to make it back-to-back division crowns.

Scoring leaders: Tom Wilson is filling up the scoresheet this year, leading the squad with 17 goals (tied for sixth in the NHL) and 31 points, posting a plus-18 rating and placing second in the NHL with 54 penalty minutes. Ovechkin breezed past 900 NHL goals early in the season and is next with a 14-15-29 line, while Jacob Chychrun leads NHL defensemen in goals with 10 among his 24 points. Dylan Strome and John Carlson add matching 6-17-23 lines.

In net: Logan Thompson has emerged as the team’s No. 1 this season and will likely get even more starts with Charlie Lindgren on the shelf with an injury. In 20 games, Thompson is 13-6-2 with a 2.06 GAA and .919 save percentage.

What's new: The Caps come into this one red hot, posting a 9-1-1 record in the last 11 games after their six-game winning streak ended with a shootout loss Friday night at Anaheim. Ovechkin and Wilson have been a dynamic duo in that span, with Ovechkin scoring nine times (T-4th in the NHL) and Wilson eight (T-6th). Injuries are starting to mount, though, as Lindgren and rookie standout Ryan Leonard are out long-term, Pierre-Luc Dubois has been limited to just six games, and both Carlson and center Justin Sourdif missed the game against the Ducks.

Trending: Washington is already 2-0 against the Blue Jackets on the season, posting a pair of 5-1 victories both at home and on the road, and the Blue Jackets are just 4-10-3 in the series the past five seasons.

Former CBJ: After a 66-point campaign a year ago, Dubois has played just six games this season and is out long-term thanks to a core muscle injury. Sonny Milano had an injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign and has played 17 games this year with four goals and two assists.