What We Learned: WSH 3, CBJ 2

Earlier this season, the Blue Jackets won some games they probably should've lost.
They found ways to win, or at least earn a point. Recently, it's been the exact opposite, especially the past two games. Columbus has outplayed its past two opponents, but doesn't have a point to show for it after losing to the Washington Capitals, 3-2, on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena.
This time, after Brandon Dubinsky tied it 2-2 with 6:05 left in the third period, the Capitals surged back in front on a game-winning goal by Nicklas Backstrom with 42.9 seconds left.
"We played a good hockey game," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "The last two, we've put in a lot of good minutes. We've just got to keep our composure here. As I've always said, I'm going to coach the team on how we've played. Sometimes, it's not always about the result. We just have to keep our composure, and keep on finding our game … because our game is coming."

That appears to be the case, after outshooting the Metropolitan Division's top team 39-25 in this game and the past two opponents by a combined 88-63 margin, but the wins need to return soon.
Columbus (27-22-4) is winless in its past four games (0-3-1), and is now clinging to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Blue Jackets (58 points) were surpassed Tuesday by the Philadelphia Flyers, who have 59 points after downing the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime Tuesday.
The biggest issues are a leaky penalty kill, an inability to finish scoring chances, costly defensive breakdowns and getting some awful luck.
"We're spoiled because of the year we had last year, when everything went our way," Tortorella said. "We got breaks. We were healthy. A lot of things went our way. As I've always said, we forced them to go our way, for the most part, but you do get some luck in a year. We had a ton of it. We got [terrible] luck right now, but that can't get us down."
Look no further than the game-winning goal, which Backstrom scored off a cross-ice, backhand feed by T.J. Oshie.
Prior to Oshie's pass, Alex Ovechkin wheeled and sent a wrist shot toward the net from the left-wing boards. The puck bounced off Columbus defenseman David Savard's face, and landed at Oshie's feet.
Heads-up play by Ovechkin and Oshie. Brutal luck for the Blue Jackets and Savard, who immediately dropped to the ice in pain. He wasn't seriously hurt, but the pain that goal caused was sharp and stinging.
"It's a kick in the stomach," Tortorella said. "That one hurts. I mean, forget the coaches. How about the guys with the uniforms on? That's a tough one for them. So, we've got to regroup [Wednesday] and just stay within ourselves there, and just keep on playing."
Columbus will get another crack at the Capitals on Friday in Washington, which will conclude a home-and-home set this week against the division leaders. It will be their third straight game against a Metro opponent, with another one on the docket next week in a rematch with the Islanders.
"We've just got to find a way," defenseman Seth Jones said. "Points are difficult to come by right now for us, but the main thing - and most important thing - is that we're playing better hockey as a whole. It looks like we're hungry. We're back to being hungry, so hopefully we find ourselves. I think nine of our next 12 games are divisional. I was looking at the schedule today, and it's not going to be easy [getting] points."
Finding ways to win games again is the goal, only without the poor play that accompanied that skill a couple months ago.
"We played like crap in a few games, and walk away with a two-goal win," Tortorella said. "The past couple of nights, we play well enough to win and we just find ways to lose. It happens. I'm encouraged with the way we've played the past couple nights, but we've played well enough to lose. We've got to try to turn that [around]."
Here's what we learned:
I: 'DUBI' GETS IT DONE
Technically speaking, Dubinsky's game-tying goal late in the third ended an eight-game goal drought. Adding in the 18 games and nearly two months he missed after surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone, the actual time between his past two goals was much longer.
Dubinsky's previous goal was scored Dec. 1 against the Anaheim Ducks, when he added an assist for a two-point game in the Jackets' 4-2 win. This was one was a lot bigger.
"It's nice to contribute offensively," said Dubinsky, who's played four games since returning from the fractured eye socket. "It's been a while since I scored a goal. That felt good, but the result is zero points. I'm not looking for personal victories here."
Regardless, it was an important goal, and also impressive. After redirecting a pass from Markus Nutivaara to the net, Dubinsky scooped his own rebound and tucked it home inside the right post, past goalie Braden Holtby's glove.
II: DEJA TWO
Saturday night, the Blue Jackets set a single-game record for shots in one period, when they peppered the New York Islanders with 26 shots to start the game. They only got one goal out of that effort, and gave up a tying goal late in the period.
Tuesday, they had 17 shots in the second period against the Capitals, without scoring at all. It was nine less shots, but a similar feeling. The horn sounded to end the second, and Washington led, 2-1, despite being outshot 17-7 in the period.
"I think we're close," Tortorella said. "It's been that way for us most of the year here, where things just haven't totally gone our way in games. Somehow, we've got to have the wherewithal to keep finding ourselves, keep staying with it and turn these games into wins, and try to get on a run."
Islanders goalie Jaroslav Halak made 46 saves in New York's 4-3 victory. Holtby made 37 for the Capitals, including 17 of 17 in the second period.
One of his most impressive stops was against Cam Atkinson with 5:24 left in the period, after Pierre-Luc Dubois sent the Blue Jackets' right wing a perfect feed off a rush to the net. Holtby read it, slid over right to left and got in front of Atkinson's attempt from the doorstep.
"He made some good saves tonight," Jones said. "They also did real good job of collapsing down in their [crease] when we had chances around there."
Holtby also got some help from the left post, which stopped a shot attempt by defenseman Dean Kukan with about four minutes left in the second.
III: PK PROBLEM CONTINUES
Savard scored the game's first goal to give Columbus a lead just 1:58 into the game. It got the cannon going early, got the crowd revved up and it felt like the Blue Jackets might have a breakout game offensively.
Instead, all the momentum disappeared 2:56 later, when Capitals defenseman John Carlson scored to cap a Washington power-play at 4:54. It was the sixth straight game the Blue Jackets have allowed a power-play goal and seventh time in the past eight.
Since Dec. 9, Columbus is 37-for-62 penalty-killing (59.7 percent), and the Blue Jackets have allowed a power-play goal in 16 of those 23 games.
IV: FINISHING SCHOOL
This was the 12th time in the past 14 games the Blue Jackets have scored two-or-fewer goals in regulation.
They've gone 5-8-1 in that span, and the two games they topped two goals in 60 minutes were regulation losses against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 23 and the Islanders on Saturday.
Columbus outshot the opponent in seven of those games, had 30-or-more shots in eight of the contests and went past the 40-shot mark three times. Finishing scoring chances has become an issue, which the Jackets will continue to address in practice.
"You can definitely work on it," said forward Boone Jenner, who worked on individual skills Tuesday morning at Nationwide Arena. "It's kind of a mind-set of 'I'm going to put this in the back of the net.' Even though there's not a goalie in the net, you can kind of pretend there is and try to shoot to score every chance you can."
V: WORKING OT
Jenner is putting in extra work trying to kick-start his season. During his time on the ice Tuesday with skills coach Kenny McCudden, he worked on making plays down low in the offensive zone, shooting off the rush and shooting from other areas.
Jenner, a 30-goal scorer in 2015-16, has 13 points (five goals, eight assists), and scored his fifth goal Friday against the San Jose Sharks to snap a 12-game goal drought.
"I've been feeling good the past couple games, so I just want to keep it going that way," Jenner said. "Obviously, it's a big stretch for us here, so I definitely want to bring what I bring and contribute that way."
VI: SPEED OVER STRENGTH
Kukan played his fifth straight game on the third defense pairing, playing primarily with Savard. His emergence has sent Scott Harrington back to being a healthy scratch, and Tortorella explained why prior to the game.
"He can pass the puck," Tortorella said. "He moves the puck well. I think 'Harry's' a different type player. He's more physical. Two different type players, I think. [Kukan] has a number of things he has to work on, that I think Harry's probably better at, but I'm leaning on that puck movement. And that's why 'Kooks' is in the lineup versus 'Harry.'"
Kukan logged 13:58 and finished with a plus-1 plus/minus rating.
VII: THIS AND THAT …
Savard's goal was his fourth of the season and second in the past four games … Jones played a game-high 27:31 for his eighth-highest ice time this season. He had six shots on goal, took nine attempts, was credited with four hits and blocked three shots. He also had one takeaway. … Josh Anderson fought Capitals forward Tom Wilson at 12:23 of the first period. It was his first fight since he accepted a challenge from Boston Bruins veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara on Oct. 30 at Nationwide Arena. … Backstrom's goal was the 200th of his NHL career, making him the fifth Capitals player to ever reach that plateau.