Washington evens series, without OT
COLUMBUS, OHIO— Evgeny Kuznetsov had a goal and two assists, and Braden Holtby stopped 23 shots as the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Thursday night to even their playoff series at two games apiece.
Tom Wilson and Alexander Ovechkin each had a goal and an assist, and T.J. Oshie also scored for the workmanlike Capitals, who won this time in regulation after the first three games of the best-of-seven series were decided in overtime. Game 5 is Saturday afternoon in Washington.
Columbus had overcome mul- ti-goal deficits to win the first two games in Washington. When the series shifted to Columbus on Tuesday, the Capitals prevailed in double-overtime.
This one lacked the intensity of the first three, and there was no comeback magic for the Blue Jackets. In fact, they were just flat through a good chunk of the first two periods, chasing pucks and flubbing passes. They finally seem to get out of the quicksand near the end of the second period after coach John Tortorella started switching up the lines.
Boone Jenner scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky had 29 saves for Columbus.
Washington led 1-0 after the opening period. Just after Columbus’s Thomas Vanek knocked the puck out of the blue paint with his glove, Kuznetsov shovelled the carom from the right boards out to Wilson, who connected from above the circle at 6:16.