Columbus Blue Jackets – Washington Capitals – 2:6
Washington arrived in Columbus with a clear plan and aimed to extend a club record. Facing a bottom-ranked Jackets squad, Peter Laviolette’s Capitals hoped to stretch their streak of away wins and possibly set a new mark. The previous record for consecutive road victories, set in 1984 for the Capitals and again in 2011 with Ovechkin, loomed as part of the narrative.
The opening period proved tough for the visitors. Columbus surged early, forcing a turnover near Johnny Gaudreau in the Capitals’ zone with a sustained pressure from Emil Bemström. Gaudreau, who had recently signed a lengthy deal with the club, controlled the play and delivered a finish. Darcy Kuemper faced a nine-game goalless stretch as the Caps battled to contain the surge.
The momentum shift came when Gaudreau and Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin earned All-Star Weekend selections from the Capitals and Blue Jackets respectively, becoming a focal point of the first intermission chatter.
The second period opened with Capital pressure as the Jackets saw their advantage slip away. Elvis Merzlikin had to clear the puck from his net four times, and Washington capitalized on the opportunities, pushing ahead on the scoreboard. TJ Oshie steadied the Capitals midway through the period, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel secured a lead boost for Washington in the middle frame. Oshie’s impact marked a turning point that carried into the end of the second period.
Oube-Kubel’s inclusion came as a late substitution when Nick Dowd missed the game due to a family matter. Gavin Bayreuther registered his first shot of the season for Columbus, with his second shot in three years in the organization following a late response. Washington regained the lead with goals from Martin Fehervary and Garnet Hathaway, while Alexander Alekseev assisted Protas for an important second-period tally.
Going into the third, the Jackets sought a comeback, but the Capitals remained resilient. Two penalties on the home team hampered Columbus’s chances, and Evgeny Kuznetsov connected with a rebound opportunity, while Oshie finished the sequence with a wraparound score.
Alexander Ovechkin then fired from the left wing after a pass from Kuznetsov, extending his season total to 29 goals and keeping pace in the top-scorer race behind Connor McDavid. The goal extended Washington’s lead and moved Ovechkin closer to a milestone in the franchise’s long history of 30-goal seasons.
Ovechkin’s pursuit aligned with Kuznetsov’s ongoing scoring streak, which reached seven games, while Dmitry Orlov picked up a point on the night. The Capitals’ line continued to click, and the team finished the game with a steady push that translated into a comfortable victory. Over the recent span, Laviolette’s group had fashioned a 7-0-2 record, showcasing consistency and depth across the lineup.
New Jersey Devils 3-5 St. Louis Blues
The Blues looked sharp despite missing captain Ryan O’Reilly after a leg injury suffered in Toronto and Vladimir Tarasenko’s arm injury in a separate contest. The lineup chemistry remained solid as St. Louis captured back-to-back wins and posted a 7-2-2 mark across their last 11 outings. New Jersey faced its own early-season struggles, enduring an eighth straight home defeat to begin the year.
Starting goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood exited after a morning skate mishap, and Akira Schmid, recalled from the farm, stepped in but could not preserve the result. Robert Thomas (two assists) and Pavel Buchnevich (three assists) led the Blues’ offense, with Buchnevich expanding his points streak after returning from a short absence. The Russian winger added a surge of production, piling up 12 points in the previous ten games while contributing another multi-point night.
Jordan Kyrou continued his hot stretch, tallying again as he collected 16 points over his last nine outings. Ivan Barbashev joined the scoring column, recording a goal that helped even the score late in the second period, and Brandon Saad’s goal early in the third swung the game in St. Louis’s favor. Cole Caufield, not on this roster, is referenced here for context. Jack Hughes starred for New Jersey, delivering a multi-point effort and earning All-Star consideration for the Capitals Division, underscoring the depth of talent on both sides.
Vladimir Tarasenko, despite not playing, was named to the Central League All-Star team, a nod to his impact when healthy. The Blues showed resilience by weathering early adversity and turning the page with a strong showing from their forwards and rookies alike.
Vancouver Canucks 4-2 Colorado Avalanche
Colorado’s defending champions suffered a setback on the road as Alexander Georgiev stopped 39 shots but could not keep the Avalanche from dropping the decision in Vancouver. The injury list grew as seven players sat out, and a string of five straight losses added pressure to the visiting squad.
Bruce Boudreau’s Canucks rode a mixed night offensively but found late momentum in the middle stanza, timing their pushes with precision. A delayed power-play goal from Mikko Rantanen briefly gave Colorado the edge, but Sam Girard’s long-range strike early in the second helped Vancouver seize control.
The turning point came when an offensive surge from Vancouver produced a quick two-minute sequence that flipped the game. Andrey Kuzmenko finished a rush from the left circle, with Ilya Mikheev assisting on the clinching score. Kuzmenko’s goal opened the door for another quick strike, this time from Elias Pettersson after a slick pass from the All-Star candidate, giving Vancouver a lead that Colorado could not answer.
Devon Toews then triggered a defensive lapse, and Brock Boeser added an insurance tally, widening the gap late in the middle period. Georgiev’s frustration showed as he slammed his stick in anger, yet the Russian netminder stood firm on the final stretch. In the third, Pettersson sealed the result by feeding JT Miller for the empty-net finish, upping Vancouver’s lead and extinguishing any late comeback hopes for the Avalanche.
Montreal Canadiens 1-4 New York Rangers
New York extended its win streak to three with a calm, controlled performance in Montreal. The outcome was decided in the middle frame after a goalless opening 20 minutes. A power-play opportunity saw Vitali Kravtsov off for a tripping minor, and Chris Kreider capitalized to put the Rangers ahead. Brayden Schenn and Artemi Panarin extended the advantage with a clever combination, aided by Kravtsov on the setup.
In the third, Yoel Armia found the net for Montreal, beating Igor Shesterkin once, but Phil Di Giuseppe and Mika Zibanejad answered with a three-goal burst that restored the lead and closed out the game. Montreal’s slump deepened with a seventh consecutive loss, while captain Nick Suzuki earned All-Star Weekend consideration for his team. Shesterkin, patrolling the Rangers’ crease, remains a standout performer entering the showcase.
Other matches
Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 Arizona Jackals
Carolina Hurricanes 3-5 Nashville Predators
Toronto Maple Leafs – Seattle Kraken – 1:5
Edmonton Oilers 4-2 New York Islanders
Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 Pittsburgh Penguins
Los Angeles Kings 2-5 Boston Bruins