Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 3
Cam Atkinson and defenseman Fedor Tyutin each recorded a goal and an assist as Columbus held on to end its three-game home losing streak.
Mark Letestu and All-Star Game MVP Ryan Johansen also scored for the Blue Jackets, who posted their first victory at Nationwide Arena since Dec. 31. All-Star captain Nick Foligno notched a pair of assists and Curtis McElhinney made 25 saves as Columbus outshot Washington 12-5 in the third period.
Evgeny Kuznetsov netted a goal and set up another while fellow rookie Andre Burakovsky and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Capitals, who suffered their fourth consecutive loss (0-3-1). Defenseman Matt Niskanen recorded two assists and Braden Holtby turned aside 26 shots.
After a scoreless first period, Letestu beat Holtby from the slot 3:45 into the second to open the scoring. Johansen doubled Columbus' lead with a shot from above the slot with 4:21 left in the session before Niskanen's wrister from the top of the slot deflected off Burakovsky and past McElhinney 33 seconds later.
Tyutin restored the two-goal advantage with a blast from the blue line at 19:04, but Brouwer answered 36 seconds later by deflecting Niskanen's shot from the right point. Atkinson made it 4-2 at 5:20 of the third by beating Holtby to the stick side from the slot before Kuznetsov buried a rebound with 7:51 remaining to get Washington back within one.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington captain Alex Ovechkin was kept off the scoresheet, ending his streak of three straight two-point performances. ... The teams were a combined 0-for-8 on the power play. ... The Capitals fell to 2-1-1 in the five-game season series.