Capitals 2, Blue Jackets 1
WASHINGTON -- Washington newcomers Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie each scored a goal, Braden Holtby stopped 29 shots and the Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Friday night.
Right winger Oshie, acquired in an offseason trade with St. Louis, made it 2-0 with just over eight minutes left in the game when he completed a pretty passing sequence by firing past goalie Sergei Bobrovsky from the slot.
Left wing Alex Ovechkin took a pass from Holtby and skated in on a 3-on-1 break. He passed across ice to center Nicklas Backstrom, who fed Oshie.
Columbus left wing Matt Calvert cut the deficit to 2-1 with 5:15 remaining when he scored during a scramble in front of Holtby.
Bobrovsky had 26 saves for Columbus (2-9), which fell to 2-2 under new head coach John Tortorella.
Columbus continued its stingier play under Tortorella. The Blue Jackets allowed 34 goals in the first seven games (all loses) and nine in their last four.
The Blue Jackets had a solid chance to go in front early in the second period, but Holtby made a nice pad save on center Boone Jenner during a scrum in front of the net.
Late in the second period, the Capitals (7-2) began sustaining offense in the Blue Jackets end and it eventually paid off.
With 5:44 left, left winger Marcus Johansson fed right winger Williams, who beat Bobrovsky with a one-timer from high in the slot.
For Williams, a three-time Stanley Cup winner signed as a free agent in the offseason, it was his second goal of the season and first at home. He has points in five straight games.
A holding call on Capitals right winger Tom Wilson less than one minute after the goal gave Columbus a chance to tie, but Holtby made three saves as Washington killed off the penalty.
In the first period, Bobrovsky preserved a scoreless tie with seven seconds left when he blocked Oshie's rebound attempt during a Capitals power play.
NOTES: Coming off Wednesday's 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, Capitals coach Barry Trotz made a pair of lineup changes. RW Michael Latta was in the lineup in place of C Chandler Stephenson, and D Nate Schmidt replaced D Taylor Chorney. RW Stanislav Galiev was a scratch. ... Columbus C Ryan Johansen (undisclosed illness) returned after missing two games. ... Blue Jackets LW Brandon Saad (undisclosed illness) remained in Ohio. ... RW Jared Boll and D Fedor Tyutin were also scratched for Columbus. ... Washington completes back-to-back games Saturday night at Florida. ... Columbus returns home to face Winnipeg Saturday night.