The Columbus Blue Jackets had just one game left on their preseason schedule. They had a rematch with the Washington Capitals on Saturday night. The result was the same as Tuesday.
Logan Thompson made 29 saves to lift the Capitals to a 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets. With that, both teams can now look ahead to their regular-season opener.
The story of this game was Thompson’s brilliance.
Game Recap
The first period was pretty evenly played. Although the Capitals outshot the Blue Jackets 12-9, both teams had good chances to score. Both teams also hit iron. Elvis Merzlikins was sharp in stopping all 12 shots.
The Capitals got their only scoring of the game in the second period. Declan Chisholm opened the scoring just 2:38 into the period.
Then Pierre-Luc Dubois, the Capitals best skater on Saturday night, scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal midway through the period. Dubois had a 2-on-1 rush and elected to shoot. He went far side on Merzlikins. Dubois’ speed was noticeable all night.
The Blue Jackets did hold the Capitals to just 10 shots on goal in the final 40 minutes of the game. They were only able to get one of the goals back.
Mathieu Olivier broke Thompson’s shutout on the power play with just 1:46 left in the game to make it 2-1. The Blue Jackets got no closer.
For the Blue Jackets, Sean Monahan and Zach Werenski did not play. Head coach Dean Evason said on Saturday morning that it was an opportunity to rest two players that will play a lot once the season gets going.
That gave the likes of Yegor Chinakhov, Jake Christiansen and Dmitri Voronkov (at center) a chance to make an impression. Chinakhov finished with three shots on goal in 12:43 ice time.
For the Capitals, Dylan McIlrath left the game due to a lower-body injury and didn’t return. That’s noteworthy as rules state that injured players cannot be put on waivers. With the roster deadline coming, the Capitals will need to determine the full extent of the injury and then how to handle the roster from there.
The Blue Jackets finished their preseason with a 2-5-0 record. They scored 14 goals over their seven games while allowing 18. The Capitals finished with a 5-1-0 record this preseason.
Up next, the Blue Jackets will play the Nashville Predators to open their 25th anniversary season on Thursday night. The Capitals will host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night to open their regular season.
