National Hockey League
Washington 6, Columbus 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, January 5, 2023
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees: Brandon Blandina, Trevor Hanson
Linesmen: Michel Cormier, Brad Kovachik
Attendance: 17924

T.J. Oshie scored two goals and the visiting Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2 on Thursday night.

Alex Ovechkin scored his seventh goal in four games for the Capitals, who are 7-0-2 in their past nine games and 12-2-3 in their past 17. Dylan Strome had three assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves. Washington has won a franchise-record seven straight road games.

Johnny Gaudreau and Gavin Bayreuther scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost nine of their past 10 games while being outscored 37-16. Emil Bemstrom had two assists, and Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves.

The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead at 5:19 of the first period when Gaudreau blocked Nicolas Aube-Kubel's clearing attempt and then knocked the loose puck over Kuemper's shoulder.

Oshie tied it 1-1 when he got to a loose puck in the slot and wristed it past Merzlikins at 1:51 of the second period.

Oshie was playing his second game after missing six games with an upper-body injury.

Aube-Kubel's strong individual effort led to his first goal as a Capital. He picked up a turnover in the neutral zone, cut back into the Columbus zone, went to the net and scored to make it 2-1 at 11:15.

Bayreuther's left point shot eluded Kuemper on his glove side at 12:59 to tie the score 2-2.

The Capitals took a 3-2 lead when Strome's shot bounced off Martin Fehervary's helmet and into the net for a goal at 17:20.

Garnet Hathaway converted a pass from Anthony Mantha behind the goal line to put the Capitals ahead 4-2 with 1:03 left in the second period.

Bayreuther appeared to pull the Blue Jackets within 4-3 early in the third period, but Washington challenged the goal and the play was ruled offside after a video review.

The Capitals extended their lead to 5-2 when Oshie knocked in the rebound of Strome's shot on a power play at 6:41. Ovechkin scored on a one-timer off a pass from Strome on a power play to make 6-2 at 13:05.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Washington   Columbus
Dylan Strome 3 Points Emil Bemstrom 2
T.J. Oshie 2 Goals Gavin Bayreuther 1
Dylan Strome 3 Assists Emil Bemstrom 2
T.J. Oshie 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Darcy Kuemper .926 Save Percentage Elvis Merzlikins .838
Darcy Kuemper 25 Saves Elvis Merzlikins 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Washington 37 6 2-2 1-1 4 32
Columbus 27 2 0-1 0-2 6 17
Upcoming Games
  • Columbus will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .273 after a win and .308 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Capitals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .579 after a loss.