Oshie scores twice, Capitals top Blue Jackets for 7th straight road win

COLUMBUS -- T.J. Oshie scored twice for the Washington Capitals in their seventh straight road win, 6-2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

The victory set a record for the longest road streak in Capitals history; they won six in a row from Feb. 26-April 1, 1984, and Feb. 20-March 16, 2011.
During the current streak, which began Dec. 5 at the Edmonton Oilers, Washington has outscored opponents 32-12.
"This is us. We're playing the way we can now," forward Garnet Hathaway said. "You look at our road record (10-8-3), we've been good on the road. We've been ready on the road, and now we're starting to hit that potential."
Alex Ovechkin scored for the fourth straight game, and Dylan Strome had three assists for the Capitals (22-13-6), who are 7-0-2 in the past nine games. Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves.

Johnny Gaudreau scored, Emil Bemstrom had two assists, and Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves for the Blue Jackets (11-24-2), who have lost nine of their past 10 (1-9-0).
Ovechkin and Gaudreau were named during first intermission to the
Metropolitan Division team
for the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game at FLA LIVE Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Feb. 4.
Columbus was outscored 4-1 and outshot 16-8 in the second period.
"They've got some big bodies," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "The second period gets tough because you can't change. We got locked in there a few times. Guys are dying on the vine."
Gaudreau gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 5:19 of the first period with his first goal in 10 games (Dec. 11). Bemstrom forced a turnover at the goal line, and Gaudreau snapped a shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle.
Oshie tied it 1-1 at 1:51 of the second period, gathering a loose puck and scoring glove-side from the high slot.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel gave Washington a 2-1 lead at 11:15 with an unassisted goal, skating around Andrew Peeke in the left circle before scoring his first goal this season in his 19th game.
"I thought from about the 10-minute mark in the first period on, we did a really good job of pushing things," Capitals coach Peter Laviolette said. "I can't explain the second period. Guys are pushing; [we] seemed to turn it on a little bit as that game went on, seemed to keep pushing the whole way."
Gavin Bayreuther tied it 2-2 at 12:59 with a shot from the left side that went off Kuemper.
Martin Fehervary put Washington back in front 3-2 at 17:20 when Strome's shot hit Fehervary's helmet and floated over Merzlikins.
"The second period, I think the floodgates started to open a little bit and they've been going in, so I think we need to keep getting guys to the net and keep shooting the puck," Strome said. "Hockey's pretty fun when you score four, five, six, seven, nine in a game."

Garnet Hathaway extended the lead to 4-2 at 18:57. What would have his second goal at 4:43 of the third period was overturned on a successful coach's challenge after Adam Boqvist was offside.
Oshie then made it 5-2 at 6:41 with a power-play goal, putting in a rebound of a Strome shot.
"If you're playing the right way, the tide eventually turns, and that's what's happened as the game goes along," Kuemper said.
Ovechkin scored a power-play goal from the left face-off circle at 13:05 for the 6-2 final. He needs one more to tie Mike Gartner for the NHL record with 17 30-goal seasons.
The Blue Jackets have allowed four power-play goals in eight short-handed situations the past two games.
"We've got to stay out of the box against teams that have really good power plays," Gaudreau said.
NOTES:Aube-Kubel had not scored in 26 games since April 13, when he played for the Colorado Avalanche. … Capitals forward Nic Dowd was away to be with his wife for the birth of their second child Wednesday. Aube-Kubel replaced him. ... Blue Jackets forward Eric Robinson did not play after he sustained an upper-body injury against the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.