Tuesday, February 12, 2019 07:00 PM (ET)

Jackets shut out Caps, inch closer to first place

Field Level Media
Feb 12, 2019

Anthony Duclair, Nick Foligno and Artemi Panarin each scored once as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the visiting Washington Capitals 3-0 on Tuesday night.

This victory pulls Columbus within two points behind Washington in the Metropolitan Division while the Capitals are in second place behind the New York Islanders.

The Blue Jackets won with their defense against a Capitals' team that looked tired at times, playing their second game in two nights while starting a six-game road trip.

Columbus held a 32-20 edge in shots, and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made all 20 stops.

The Blue Jackets allowed only four shots in the first period and three more in the second, holding a 24-7 edge in shots through two before the Capitals got some more pressure in a 13-shot third period. Devante Smith-Pelly broke in alone and hit the post during the second period and did it again in the third, but Washington could not find enough scoring chances.

The Blue Jackets did, though, but Washington goalie Braden Holtby kept turning them away. He finished with 29 saves, often needing to move all over the place to keep stopping Columbus, which nearly had three breakaways on a Capitals' power play.

Columbus finally broke through in the second period. Duclair and the Blue Jackets caught the Capitals in a slow change and came up with a three-on-one that let him beat Holtby from the left circle at the 6:32 mark.

Foligno scored his goal with 3:48 remaining in the game, and that gave Columbus a 2-0 lead. Panarin added an empty-net goal with 10 seconds left.

Washington once again had problems with minor penalties, a problem that has dogged the team all season and especially in recent games. The Capitals even drew a bench minor for too many men on the ice and had to kill off four power plays.

Washington got just one power play, and that didn't last the full time because the Capitals were hit with another penalty that ended their extra-man advantage early.

--Field Level Media

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