Caps and Jackets Set to Clash in Game 4

April 19 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena

Time: 7:30 p.m.

TV:NBC Sports Washington, USA Network

Radio:Capitals Radio 24/7 and 106.7 FM

Game 4, Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Jackets lead, 2-1.

Two nights after engaging in a double-overtime thriller and their third overtime contest in as many games, the Caps and the Columbus Blue Jackets are at it again. Columbus hosts the Capitals on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena in the critical Game 4 of the first-round playoff series between the two teams.

By the end of Thursday night's game, two outcomes are possible. Either the Jackets win to push the Caps to the ledge with a victory that gives Columbus a 3-1 series lead, or Washington wins it, tying the series at 2-2, restoring the Caps' home ice advantage and effectively shrinking the set to a best-of-three scenario.

Lars Eller scored nine minutes into the second overtime of Game 3 on Tuesday, giving the Caps their first victory of the series after they dropped the first two in overtime at home. Making his first start of the series, Caps goalie Braden Holtby made 33 saves to earn the win.

"We knew if we could get one here in Game 3, it's a completely different series," says Caps winger Brett Connolly. "I thought the guys responded really well. There was no quit obviously, tonight. It's a big win. I thought Holts was great, too."

Eller's goal came on a second chance, a rare loose puck near the paint. Both teams have been adept at sweeping the slot and limiting rebound chances in the series, but both teams have also now registered a victory via a rebound goal in overtime.

"Well, we haven't really had too many rushes like that, either," Eller points out. "I think we had a rush there that was a three-on-two; there hasn't been a lot of that. It's been a lot of [offensive] zone time with five guys in front of the net the whole time, in both ends. We've gotten burned a bit on some odd-man rushes, and now it finally turned for us on that sequence."

Devante Smith-Pelly sent Brett Connolly into Columbus ice and Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky couldn't quite handle Connolly's high, hard shot. The puck fell to the ice, Eller and Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski in pursuit. The puck rattled around the lower extremities of the two players before bounding into the net to end the longest of the three overtime games in this series.

"Devo put it in a good spot for me and I just shot it as hard as I could and tried to surprise [Bobrovsky]," recounts Connolly. "It just kind of hit him; I thought it was going in originally, but Lars did a great job going to the net and we got a break; it's what we needed. You need breaks. Every team is so good now, you just need to keep pressing and pressing. You've just got to find a way, and we did tonight."

Washington has been chasing this series since Artemi Panarin scored the game-winner in the extra session of Game 1. Eller's goal gives the Caps a chance to head home all even, something they were unable to do in this virtually exact situation last spring in their second-round series with the Penguins.

"When you're down 2-0," says Caps right wing Tom Wilson, "it's almost like you've got two do-or-die games. If you don't win the do-or-die Game 3, you're probably up against the wall. We looked at it like a do-or-die - a must win - and we got the win. So now we can look to the next one."

"It means a ton," says Eller, "a win like this after playing that long. I'm sure they feel a lot more tired in that [Columbus locker] room than we are feeling right now, and it gives you a lot of energy. But it's going to be a battle again in Game 4. But I think it's very fair that we at least had one win after these three games. It's been close every game."

As close as it can get, in fact. There is little reason to expect Thursday's Game 4 to be any different.

"We didn't cheat," says Holtby. "We just stuck to our system and we got a gritty goal to win it, so that's a good sign. We're going to enjoy it for a couple of minutes and then start regrouping and focusing on Game 4."

Both teams played better in Game 3 than in the first two games, but both are still capable of playing better, too. Special teams have been and continue to be a factor, too. The Caps scored a power play for the third straight game in Game 3, and they held the Jackets without one for the first time as well.

Columbus has permitted just four even strength goals in the series, and Bobrovsky sports a spiffy .957 even-strength save pct. in this series, third best in the league among starting netminders. That figure also means the Caps are shooting an anemic 4.3 pct. at even strength.

Washington is making up for a dearth of five-on-five scoring with plenty of power play firepower. The Caps have scored six times with the extra man in the series, including John Carlson's five-on-three power-play goal in Game 3. The Caps have scored a power-play goal in three straight games for the first time since 2016 when they were 8-for-17 (47.1%) in the first three games of their opening round series with Philadelphia.

The Capitals improved their penalty-killing rate to 66.7% in killing off all four Columbus power plays on Tuesday. The Jackets are sitting at 64.7% for the series. The Caps' 35.3% power play success rate is third in the league, but only Philadelphia (three), Anaheim and Los Angeles (one each) have scored fewer five-on-five goals than the Caps this spring.

Panarin continued his scoring ways in Game 3, tying the game on a highlight reel two-on-one goal in the third period and setting up Pierre-Luc Dubois' first career playoff goal in the second. Panarin has seven points (two goals, five assists) in the series, tying Carlson (one goal, six assists) for the scoring lead in the series. Panarin has had a hand in seven of the Jackets' 11 goals in the series while Carlson has contributed to seven of 10 for Washington.