Replay: Washington Capitals race out to 5-0 lead, cruise past Columbus Blue Jackets
After getting blown out, 6-2, by the Winnipeg Jets on Friday at Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets were dominated 7-2 less than 20 hours later by the Washington Capitals on Saturday at Capital One Arena. Columbus was overwhelmed and overmatched to start, looking like a tired team in the Capitals' five-goal first period.
Here's today's updates and analysis:
FINAL: Washington Capitals 7, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
This one, mercifully for Columbus, is in the books. Washington dominated the first period, overwhelming the Blue Jackets with five unanswered goals on the Capitals' first seven shots to essentially decide the game in the first period.
Six different goal-scorers beat Daniil Tarasov for goals, led by Connor McMichaels' two. Ovechkin, Strome and Aliaksei protas each finished with two points to lead the Capitals (8-2-0). Damon Severson and Kevin Labanc scored goals for the Blue Jackets (5-5-1), who return home before leaving Monday for a trip out West.
GOAL, 3rd period 18:34: Washington Capitals 7, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Tic, tac, toe. Raddysh to Ovechkin to Strome to the back of the Blue Jackets' net to add just a little more insult to injury in the second straight blowout loss for Columbus. Ugly.
3rd period, 11:35: Washington Capitals 6, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Both teams are playing out the string with 8:25 remaining in a game that was decided in the first 10 minutes of the opening period. They've combined for just seven shots in this period thus far, 4-3 favoring Columbus. Evason and assistant Mike Haviland have mixed up the forward lines in this period, experimenting to see if they can find some hidden chemistry.
3rd period start: Washington Capitals 6, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
The final period is being played in Washington, which will bring the Jackets' first of 12 back-to-backs this season to a forgettable close.
2nd intermission: Washington Capitals 6, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
That was a better period for the Blue Jackets, who outscored the Capitals 2-1 in the middle 20 minutes, but they couldn't claw back any closer than a four-goal margin. A late power play provided a chance to get within three, but Thompson and the Capitals killed it off.
GOAL, 2nd period 14:36: Washington Capitals 6, Columbus Blue Jackets 2
Another ugly one for the Blue Jackets, but their second goal of the night was more about hard work than poor goaltending. After grinding to keep the puck inside the Capitals' zone late in the second period, Jiricek throws the puck at the net to create a scramble that Kevin Labanc finished with his first goal as a Blue Jacket.
After much debate, this goal's been awarded to Labanc!@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/vxHwMIynny
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 2, 2024
For some reason, officials didn't blow the play dead after it looked like Thompson had it covered. Labanc capitalized by continuing to go after it with a poke underneath the Capitals goalie that sent the puck over the goal line. It took a video review to confirm, closing Washington's cushion to four goals.
GOAL, 2nd period 4:51: Washington Capitals 6, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Just searched things hotter than the surface of the sun and Connor McMichael's name came up pic.twitter.com/FqecYWrKNa
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 2, 2024
An ill-advised pinch up in the offensive zone by Blue Jackets defenseman David Jiricek leads to another odd-man rush for the Capitals, who push their lead back up to a five-goal margin on McMichael's second goal in this game. Tarasov made a nice save on the initial shot, but McMichael put the puck off Jiricek on the far side of the net for the rebound goal.
GOAL, 2nd period 0:47: Washington Capitals 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
chippin' away! @FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/bOxyIwTXpK
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 2, 2024
Severson gets one back for the Blue Jackets by simply throwing a shot on net and watching the puck slide trickle underneath Thompson between the pads. It snuck over the goal line at a slow rate of speed. Ugly goal, but they all count the same on the scoresheet.
2nd period start: Washington Capitals 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
After getting a chance to regroup in the locker room between periods, the Blue Jackets are back on the ice for the start of the second period. Salvaging a respectable finish to this one would be an accomplishment.
1st intermission: Washington Capitals 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
THE CAPITALS SCORED FIVE GOALS IN THE FIRST PERIOD. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/C89VnjeUfZ
— NHL (@NHL) November 2, 2024
The horn to end the first period couldn't sound soon enough for the overwhelmed, dead-legged team from Columbus. The Capitals swarmed the Blue Jackets from the opening shift and blew this game wide open with five goals on their first seven shots. They only outshot Columbus by three (8-5), but who needs to generate a lot of shots with a blistering 62.5% team shooting percentage for the period?
GOAL, 1st period 14:58: Washington Capitals 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
Nic Dowd joins the Capitals' goal party, sliding the puck through the wickets against Tarasov for a five-goal lead in this nightmarish first period for the Blue Jackets. Total domination in all regards by Washington, which scored these five goals on the Capitals' first seven shots.
GOAL, 1st period 14:34: Washington Capitals 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
8️⃣5️⃣9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/P3lNd4D2ie
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 2, 2024
Well, move Alex Ovechkin one closer to Wayne Gretzky. He's only 36 goals away from passing "The Great One" in all-time goals now. This one was scored with a one-timer from distance that probably should've been stopped. Tarasov beaten again. This is humbling, to say the least.
GOAL, 1st period 7:28: Washington Capitals 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
some beautiful hockey being played right now, folks pic.twitter.com/aexy026OcB
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 2, 2024
The awful start gets even worse. The Capitals' third line creates a 3-on-2 rush against the Jackets' second defense pairing, Jake Christiansen and Severson, and Andrew Mangiapane puts it home off a juicy rebound of Jakub Vrana's shot. Hendrix Lapierre with the second assist. Severson and Christiansen already have -2 plus/minus ratings and we're just getting to the mid-point of the first period.
Washington is dominating almost all facets, as expected on full rest playing a team that finished it previous game less than 20 hours before this one began.
GOAL, 1st period 1:42: Washington Capitals 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
phewwwwwwww mikey pic.twitter.com/HPjJIoaNO9
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 2, 2024
Brutal start for the Blue Jackets, who've fallen behind by two goals before this game is even two minutes old. Connor McMichael nets this one and Rasmus Sandin gets the assist. This time, the Blue Jackets' third forward line of Mikael Pyyhtia, Justin Danforth and Mathieu Olivier was on the ice along with the top defense pairing of Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov.
GOAL, 1st period 0:56: Washington Capitals 1, Columbus Blue Jackets 0
this genuinely gets better with each watch pic.twitter.com/wOKGBiQIHD
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 2, 2024
Damon Severson is having a tough weekend for the Blue Jackets. After committing multiple mistakes against the Jets on Friday, he was clearly tripped without a call on his first shift of the game, giving the Capitals a 2-on-0 against Tarasov that Aliaksei Protas tapped home off a pass from Ryan Strome.
Severson argued his case to no avail.
Game start: Columbus Blue Jackets 0, Washington Capitals 0
The puck is in play over at Capital One Arena in the nation's capital, as the Jackets and Capitals get this 5 p.m. start hockey game going. Here are the starters for each side:
Blue Jackets
First forward line: LW Yegor Chinakhov ― C Sean Monahan ― RW Kirill Marchenko
First defense pairing: LD Zach Werenski — RD Ivan Provorov
Goalie: Daniil Tarasov
Tonight's starters, scratches, lineups, coaches and zebras for #CBJ @ #ALLCAPS -> pic.twitter.com/IFe0CZzMc5
— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) November 2, 2024
Capitals
Fourth forward line: LW Brandon Duhaime ― C Nic Dowd ― RW Taylor Raddysh
First defense pairing: LD Martin Fehervary — RD John Carlson
Goalie: Logan Thompson
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals goaltending breakdown
Blue Jackets: Evason is going back to Tarasov after giving the nod to Merzlikins the past three games. That decision is almost certainly due to this being the finale of a back-to-back rather than Merzlikins' play while taking the loss to Winnipeg. Tarasov is 3-1-1, but has a bloated 3.42 goals-against average and paltry .886 save percentage.
Capitals: Washington will go with Logan Thompson in net. Like Tarasov, his record is considerably better than his other numbers. Thompson has yet to take a loss, posting a 4-0-0 record, but has an inflated 3.21 GAA and ice cold .876 save percentage.
Columbus Blue Jackets lineup at Washington Capitals
Here's how the Blue Jackets are expected to start out against the Capitals after Evason's changes:
Forward lines
Yegor Chinakhov — Sean Monahan — Kirill Marchenko
Dmitri Voronkov — Adam Fantilli — Cole Sillinger
Mikael Pyyhtia — Justin Danforth — Mathieu Olivier
Zach Aston-Reese — Sean Kuraly — Kevin Labanc
Defense pairings
Zach Werenski — Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen — Damon Severson
Jack Johnson — David Jiricek
Goalies
Daniil Tarasov
Elvis Merzlikins
Scratched: D Jordan Harris, F James van Riemsdyk
Injured: F Boone Jenner (shoulder surgery), D Erik Gudbranson (shoulder surgery), F Kent Johnson (shoulder) and F Gavin Brindley (fractured finger)
Washington Capitals projected lineup against Columbus Blue Jackets
Here's how the Blue Jackets are expected to start out against the Capitals after Evason's changes:
Forward lines
Aliaksei Protas — Dylan Strome — Alex Ovechkin
Connor McMichael — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana — Hendrix Lapierre — Andrew Mangiapane
Brandon Duhaime — Nic Dowd — Taylor Raddysh
Defense pairings
Martin Fehervery — John Carlson
Rasmus Sandin — Trevor van Riemsdyk
Alexander Alexeyev — Dylan McIlrath
Goalies
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Scratched: F Michael Sgarbossa, D Vincent Iorio, F Sonny Milano
Injured: D Jakub Chychyrun (upper body), D Matt Roy (lower body), F T.J. Oshie (back), C Nicklas Backstrom (hip)
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals lineup changes
According to Jeff Svoboda, who writes for the Blue Jackets' website, Evason is making a few changes before facing the Capitals. Forward Kevin Labanc will return to the lineup, replacing James van Riemsdyk on the fourth line, while defenseman David Jiricek will replace Jordan Harris on the third defense pairing.
Jiricek, picked sixth overall in 2022, has only played two of the Jackets' first 10 games. Labanc, claimed off waivers from the New Jersey Devils in the preseason, was scratched against Winnipeg to make room for Dmitri Voronkov's return from a preseason shoulder injury.
Voronkov finished with a -3 plus/minus rating against the Jets, but he'll get another chance to shake off rust from his injury absence while van Riemsdyk gets a rest. Daniil Tarasov will get the start in net after Elvis Merzlikins started the previous three games.
According to the Washington Post's Bailey Johnson, the Capitals will bring forward Hendrix Lapierre back into their lineup after two games as a healthy scratch and start Logan Thompson in net.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals history
All-time record: The Blue Jackets are 19-25-9 with one tie in 54 games against the Capitals, including 9-13-4 with one tie on the road. Washington took all three games last season, completing the series sweep with a 3-2 overtime win Dec. 21 at Nationwide Arena.
Last meeting: The Blue Jackets put up a good fight in the final meeting last season, but lost in OT on Dec. 21, 2023 after goalie Elvis Merzlikins was penalized for roughing Capitals pestilent forward Tom Wilson by pushing him into his net and pummeling him. Alex Ovechkin capped the ensuing power play with a winning goal that sent Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets off the ice listening to jeers from the aggrieved Capitals, who drew motivation from the Columbus goalie's actions.
2024 matchups: Nov. 2 in Washington; Dec. 12, in Columbus; April 12, 2025 in Columbus; April 13, 2025 in Washington
Who are the officials for Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals?
Referee: Ghislain Hebert (22)
Referee: Pierre Lambert (25)
Lines official: Kyle Flemington (55)
Lines official: Julien Fournier (56)
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday, Nov. 2
Spread: Blue Jackets (+1.5)
Over/under: 6.5
Moneyline: Blue Jackets +220, Islanders -275
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Columbus Blue Jackets November 2024 schedule, record
Here's a look at the Blue Jackets' schedule for November, along with start times, television, and radio information of upcoming games:
Friday, Nov. 1: Blue Jackets vs Winnipeg Jets (L, 6-2); Takeaways; Photos
Saturday, Nov. 2: Blue Jackets at Capitals | 5 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 93.3 The Bus
Tuesday, Nov. 5: Blue Jackets at Sharks | 10:30 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Saturday, Nov. 9: Blue Jackets at Kings | 9 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Sunday, Nov. 10: Blue Jackets at Ducks | 8 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Tuesday, Nov. 12: Blue Jackets at Kraken | 10 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Friday, Nov. 15: Blue Jackets vs Penguins | 7 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 93.3 The Bus
Saturday, Nov. 16: Blue Jackets at Canadiens | 7 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Monday, Nov. 18: Blue Jackets at Boston Bruins | 7 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Thursday, Nov. 21: Blue Jackets vs Lightning | 7 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Saturday, Nov. 23: Blue Jackets vs Hurricanes | 7 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Wednesday, Nov. 27: Blue Jackets vs Canadiens | 7:30 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 97.1 The Fan
Friday, Nov. 29: Blue Jackets vs Calgary Flames | 3 p.m. | FanDuel Sports Network Ohio | 93.3 The Bus
November Record: 0-1-0, 5th place, Metropolitan Division
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals records
Records: Blue Jackets 5-4-1, 11 points, 5th place in the Metropolitan Division; Capitals 7-2-0, 14 points, 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division
How can I watch/listen to Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals?
TV channel: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio
Streaming: ESPN+; FanDuel Sports Network app
Radio: 93.3 The Bus; Blue Jackets website, Blue Jackets app
Columbus Blue Jackets at Washington Capitals start time
Date: Saturday, Nov. 2
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets rewind: Capitals turn more mistakes into another rout