📸: kurly from #crashers
The Washington Capitals’ blowout win over the Columbus Blue Jackets was exactly the kind of game everyone needed right now.
Jakob Chychrun kept his stat line lively with a smart read to beat Elvis Merzlikins, 1-0 Caps.
In the second period, Tom Wilson got the final touch on a beautiful sequence with Sourdif and Protas. Chychrun got his second of the night on the power play – yes, you read that right. Seconds later, John Carlson scored a set-play goal after a face-off.
Proving anyone could score in this one, Martin Fehervary nabbed a goal four minutes into the third period, followed by Denton Mateychuk, who threaded a puck through a nest of legs to snap the shutout, but the game was already out of reach.
Caps win!
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With his first period goal, Jakob Chychrun‘s point streak reaches 8 games. He’s got 5 goals and 6 assists in the stretch. He was low-key kinda stinky in that Tampa game, but otherwise he’s been terrific. He flirted with the Hat Chych a few times but couldn’t make it happen.
Sometimes I get confused about which “Blue” goalie I’m supposed to dislike: Lumbus’ Elvis Merzlikins or St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington. Then I remember it’s both. I thought Merzlikins would have earned the hook in this one, and I would have loved to have seen Jet Greaves, but I guess they’re saving him for the Leafs on Wednesday, where they’ll have a better chance to win.
In the second period, Ryan Leonard got hit in the head by the shoulder of Cole Sillinger. Leonard looked hurt, prone on the ice for a moment getting escorted off the ice. I’m not convinced it was a malicious hit.
The Caps scored their first power-play goal on home ice since November 5. Off the stick of Chychrun it came, with an assist by Wilson. Somewhere around 11 or 12 failed power plays in a row in Capital One Arena, an ongoing fiasco that has hindered the team’s ability to win games.
Tom Wilson’s goal was the capstone on a great sequence by Aliaksei Protas and Justin Sourdif, who may be getting his sea legs. I heard Craig Laughlin compare this play favorably to Evgeny Kuznetsov/
#joebsuitofthenight
— RMNB (@rmnb.bsky.social) 2025-11-25T00:27:51.492Z
The Caps slowly make their way up the standings. They’re a good team; if they keep on working on their glaring flaws, they’ll be a great one.
Couldn’t ask for more. Couldn’t ask for a shutout. Couldn’t ask for healthy Dowd and PLD. Couldn’t ask for an Ovi. Couldn’t ask for Merzlikins getting the hook, looking dejected on the bench, slamming his stick, cursing the Caps, “you’ve done it to me again! I hate you!”
The Caps have a pre-Thanksgiving bout scheduled with Winnipeg on Wednesday. I can’t make it: in-laws in town. You’re in good hands.