Capitals' Alex Ovechkin to return for rematch with Jackets
The Blue Jackets (37-33-9, 83 points), who have won three straight, still have not been eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoff contention because the Montreal Canadiens lost 2-1 in overtime on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday evening.
Columbus scored three times in both the first and second periods to cruise to a win over a Capitals (50-20-9, 109 points) team that gave Alex Ovechkin the day off and had a few key players -- defenseman Jakob Chychrun (illness), center Aliaksei Protas (foot) and goalie Logan Thompson (upper body) -- also out.
"The intensity was there real early, obviously, and it's not a bad thing," Columbus coach Dean Evason said after the win.
Ovechkin, who set the NHL career goal-scoring record a week ago, is expected to play Sunday evening. He skated Saturday with Thompson, who last played April 2 after suffering an upper-body injury midgame that day against the Carolina Hurricanes. Washington coach Spencer Carbery could not commit to Chychrun or others returning.
Second-year center Adam Fantilli had his fifth multi-goal game of the season on Saturday. His first goal came in the final minute of the first period, after he laid a shoulder into Ryan Leonard at the opposite end of the rink that sent the Capitals rookie to the ice.
The hit occurred as both players were going for the puck in the slot.
"It's not like I was hunting him the whole way down the ice," Fantilli said. "I saw him probably half a second before I ran into him and whatever. Then to be able to go down and score, that was great. I thought it gave us the momentum there going to the second period, and we kept rolling with it."
Fantilli, who ranks second on the team with 27 goals, has scored five this month.
Washington's playoff status has been secure for a while. They own the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are five points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the Presidents' Trophy, which goes to the team with the best regular-season record.
The Capitals are 3-3 in their last six, with each of the losses by three goals or more. Saturday's shutout was just the third this season for a team that entered the weekend with a league-best 3.59 goals per game.
Ovechkin (42 goals, 28 assists, 70 points), Protas (30-36-66) and Chychrun (20-27-47) are among Washington's top eight offensive players.
Carbery told reporters he did some "homework" and found that the Colorado Avalanche lost six of their last seven games in the 2021-22 season before going on to win the Stanley Cup. That team, of course, also had players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
"We're more of a team game, and when our team game slips, you see what happens tonight and some other nights down the stretch here," he added.
"So, it's a fine line, and I've talked about it a lot. We've got to figure out a way to play the right way, match the urgency level (Sunday) afternoon and get our game on track."
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