Don’t put the Capitals on the power play. I thought that was clear by now, but the Columbus Blue Jackets did it anyway. Worse: with Justin Falk’s bloody high stick on Marcus Johansson, Washington got a super-sized, 4-minute man advantage.
The Caps scored twice. Evgeny Kuznetsov got the primary assist on both. (This team, jeez.)
First up, Alex Ovechkin with a little twist on the Ovi Shot from the Ovi Spot. Instead of a pass from the point, the pass was a skip-a-man move from Kuznetsov.
That is Ovechkin’s 503rd goal, tying him with Peter Bondra for 40th all-time.
Columbus took a little breather after that goal. Arena staff had to repair the glass, but they made a fatal mistake during the delay. They played “The Anthem” by DC legends Good Charlotte.
Certainly fueled by the intensity of that classic tune, the Caps scored again. This time, Evgeny Kuznetsov set up a tip-in goal (just like he did with Jason Chimera last week), but Nicklas Backstrom was the axe man this time.
So nasty.
Noted Pearl Jam fan Pat Holden observed of the Caps PP:
That new wrinkle on the Caps PP is just unstoppable. Want to guard it? Cool, that leaves Oshie or Ovi wide open. So many options.
— pfholden.bsky.social (@pfholden) January 20, 2016
Later, Kuznetsov added his third assist of the period on an Andre Burakovsky goal.
Three assists for Kuznetsov. Or as he calls it, Tuesday.
— Katie Brown (@katiebhockey) January 20, 2016
The Caps lead the Blooj 5-2.
