The Columbus Blue Jackets’ two-game winning streak came to an end Friday night at Nationwide Arena, as the visiting Washington Capitals rolled to a 5-1 victory behind a four-goal third period.
Logan Thompson was the difference, stopping 34 of 35 Blue Jackets shots. Washington got goals from five different scorers: John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, Justin Sourdif, Tom Wilson, and Connor McMichael. Ovechkin’s third-period goal was the 899th of his career.
Related: Blue Jackets Lose to Capitals as Alex Ovechkin Scores Goal 899
Denton Mateychuk, skating on the top defensive pairing with Zach Werenski in the past two games, scored the lone goal for Columbus. Jet Greaves was sharp early but allowed four goals in the final 20 minutes, finishing with 25 saves on 30 shots.
Here are three takeaways from yet another frustrating loss for the Blue Jackets.
Great Chances, No Reward
Columbus came out strong, generating plenty of quality looks in the first period but could not solve Thompson, who seemed unbeatable all night. Shots were even 12-12 after the first 20 minutes.
Head coach Dean Evason gave Thompson credit after the game.
“Their goalie was great. Yeah, he was great. Some of the saves, we were like, ‘What the heck? How’d he do that?’ We hit three posts; we just went over it. I’d argue it wasn’t just the first part of the game. It was the whole thing. What happened at the end, I don’t want to say we were better, but we had no business losing like that. That’s not a 5-1 hockey game. It was such a great game.”
The Blue Jackets dominated much of the second period, outshooting the Capitals 10-2 and dominating all three zones, yet somehow trailed 1-0 heading into intermission. It was one of their best defensive periods of the season, but they had no puck luck.
Through two periods, Columbus outshot the Capitals 20-14, with both goaltenders battling it out.
Third Period Unraveling
After two strong periods, things fell apart quickly in the third.
A controversial five-minute major to Mathieu Olivier for elbowing turned the game upside down. The Capitals scored twice on that penalty, flipping a tight 3-1 game into a lopsided score. The Blue Jackets finished the night 2-for-5 on the penalty kill, with both goals coming during that major.
Evason was blunt when asked about the call.
“The guy gets hit, first he stops, jumps out of the way, we’re just finishing the check. Arms are in, finishing the check. There’s no chicken wing. His head hits the glass, he gets hit on this side, he holds the other side of his face. Plays the very next shift. For a five-minute major, I don’t understand it. I just don’t.”
Evason continued, “All he (Olivier) knows is he’s finishing a check on a guy who jumps out of the way and might’ve hit his head on the glass. There’s no intent for a headshot. There’s no elbow to the face. He knows what he’s doing. He’s finishing his check. That’s all he’s doing.”
Mateychuk scored midway through the third to break Thompson’s shutout bid, but then, to make matters worse, Dmitri Voronkov’s apparent goal that would have made it 3-2 was waved off for a distinct kicking motion.
Columbus outshot Washington 35-30 overall, but could not get anything out of it.
Chinakhov Impressive Amidst Trade Rumors
Yegor Chinakhov continues to make the most of limited ice time. Still on the fourth line, he logged just 9:03 but recorded four shots on goal and was noticeable in all three zones.
Through four games this season, he has one point and has already been a healthy scratch multiple times. An early-season injury to Miles Wood opened the door for him to return to the lineup.
Despite trade rumors circulating, the Blue Jackets are reportedly in no rush to move him unless the right offer comes along. Based on his recent play, he is making a strong case for more minutes higher in the lineup, but I doubt it will come.
Evason said the team would stay focused on the positives moving forward.
“We’ll take a ton of positivity out of this game. We’re not going to talk to the guys about anything that happened. It’s out of our control. I talk to you guys because I have to. The players know how hard they played. They know how well they played. And they know they just need to keep doing that. We’ll get rewarded.”
The Blue Jackets are back in action Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road in Pennsylvania. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
