This is your place to check for updates and comment along with the Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets game on January 5, 2023.
The Washington Capitals lost in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday after a hard-fought, back-and-forth game that saw Alex Ovechkin and Tage Thompson combine for five goals. Tonight they’ll try to keep their attention with the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets and attempt to not play too much with their food.
The Blue Jackets are scuffling badly. They have the second-worst record in the NHL and are losers of eight of their last 10. Their goal differential is a super horrendous minus-48.
Tonight’s game is on ESPN. If it’s anything like the Caps-Blackhawks game a few weeks ago, prepare yourself for features being aired over Ovi goals and incoherent mumbling amongst Hockey Hall of Famers. The opening faceoff will be a little after 7 pm.
Links
- 4th line Mantha
- No Dowder tonight
- Strome to wing
- An Ovi’s Office logo coming to a local rink near you
- Trevor Zegras lol
- We too have a bad bout of Fehervary Fever
- Nicklas Backstrom on his pending return
- Tom Wilson wanted to return from his injury rehab when he was the player he was before
- John Carlson attended Tuesday’s game
- Jakub Vrana goes unclaimed on waivers
Lines
Lineys!#CapsJackets | @JackDaniels_US pic.twitter.com/KnBJBOw4PK
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 5, 2023
Tunnel shenanigans
"Hey, Sonny…
🎶 WE WANT YOU BABY 🎶"#ALLCAPS | @CaesarsSports pic.twitter.com/uQYDblaAAa
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 5, 2023
1st Period
The Capitals start Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Sheary and Gustafsson-TVR. Darcy Kuemper will face Elvis Merzlinkins and his atrocious .864 save percentage in net.
🚨 1-0 Blue Jackets. NAK turns it over to Emil Bemstrom. In an attempt to help, Martin Fehervary stick-checked NAK, leaving Johnny Gaudreau wide open with the puck in front of the net. (Of course he scored.)
An Erik Gustafsson pinch results in a 2-on-1 for the Blue Jackets but they can’t score.
Alex Ovechkin was named an All-Star for the 2023 All-Star Game during intermission!
The Capitals outshot the Blue Jackets 13 to 8 in the first period and out-attempted them at 5v5, 22 to 17. Colubums holds the expected goals edge, 0.73 to 0.70.
2nd Period
🚨 1-1. TJ Oshie scores on a rebound at 5v5. The goal came 1:51 into the second period.
Four-on-four hockey after Martin Fehervary and Mathieu Olivier get in an angry hugging match in front of the Caps goal.
🚨 2-1 Capitals. NAK gets one back after surrendering the game’s first goal to Columbus. He skated wide on the left wing and then took it hard to the net, beating Merzlinkins five-hole.
🚨 2-2. Gavin Bayreuther scores on a bomb from just outside the left circle that beats Kuemper clean. The goal came after Nick Jensen tried to get fancy and turned the puck over while trying to skate the puck out from behind the Capitals goal.
🚨 3-2 Capitals. Dylan’s Strome shot gets blocked, bounces off Martin Fehervary’s head, and moonshots over everybody and into the goal. What in the hell did I just watch.
Martin Fehervary scores goal off his head, someone tell him the World Cup is over
🚨 4-2 Capitals. Garnet Hathaway scores in front of the net after Columbus couldn’t clear. Merzlinkins looked like a beached whale trying to make the save but couldn’t stretch up high enough.
The Capitals hold a 29-16 shot advantage through two periods and a 5v5 shot-attempt lead of 46 to 28.
3rd Period
Bayreuther scores but the Capitals challenge for the play being offside. It’s determined it was. No goal.
🚨 5-2 Capitals. Erik Gustafsson blatantly trips a Blue Jackets penalty killer leaving the zone and the breakdown ends up on TJ Oshie’s stick and into the net. PPG.
🚨 6-2 Capitals. Alex Ovechkin’s 809th career goal. PPG. From his office.
Comment below. Refresh this article throughout the night as we’ll be updating it live.
