Capitals defensemen critical in 5-1 win over Blue Jackets – The Hockey Writers Washington Capitals Latest news, analysis and more

The Washington Capitals put on a show for the home fans in a 5-1 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. Capital One Arena. The Capitals and Blue Jackets defensemen combined for most of the scoring in the game, a rarity in today’s NHL. Washington improves to 12-9-2 with the win, while Columbus falls to 11-8-3 in 2025.

Summary of the game

Washington’s Jakob Chychrun opened the scoring after just six minutes, giving the home team a 1-0 lead. The veteran blueliner collected a rebound after a flared shot attempt at the point and fired a shot over Elvis Merzlikins’ glove before finding twine in the back of the net. Chychrun’s goal was the only goal of the first period in Washington, DC

The Capitals scored three goals in a span of 3:28 late in the second period, breaking the game wide open. Tom Wilson doubled the Capitals’ lead to 2-0 at the 16:29 mark of the middle frame with his team-leading 12th goal of the campaign. Chychrun scored his second goal of the night (and eighth of the season) to extend Washington’s lead to 3-0 with 15 seconds left in the period. But Washington wasn’t done yet as John Carlson scored with three seconds left for a 4-0 Capitals lead at the second intermission.

Martin Fehervary scored four minutes into the third period to make the situation worse for Columbus. However, Denton Mateychuk responded 1:45 later on the Blue Jackets’ first trip through the fist line in the 5-1 game. For those keeping track at home, that’s five of every six goals in the game scored by blueliners (or the aforementioned 83% for mathematically inclined players). It was the only mistake Logan Thompson made in an impressive Capitals win. Washington’s netminder stopped 22 of 23 shots in the win, while Merzlinkins made 26 saves on 31 shots.

Next

Both teams return to the ice surface Wednesday evening ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Washington (12-9-2) will host the Winnipeg Jets (12-9-0) in a battle of the top two teams during the 2024-2025 regular season. Columbus (11-9-3) returns home National Arena for a midweek match with the wilting Toronto Maple Leafs (9-10-3).