In Washington, DC, the Columbus Blue Jackets held a 2-0 lead heading into the third period with the Capitals.
The final frame was give and take as the Jackets outscored the Caps 3-2 in the frame for a 5-2 win on Monday.
Cam Atkinson had two goals in win over Caps – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
Joonas Korpisalo made 37 saves to get the win for Columbus.
“Like I told the team before the game, we play well in this building. We have,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “We get a lead, we get a couple of puck bounces, a little bit puck luck. The best part of the game tonight, I thought we had some really good sticks, our checking, and we find a way.”
Nicklas Backstrom scored for the Caps and Alex Ovechkin added his 21st of the season in the third period.
“We’ve been so consistent for so many games that at some point you’re going to have something that you don’t [like]. We don’t like [this] game,” Capitals coach Todd Reirden said. “It didn’t go the way we wanted. We didn’t execute. There was a number of different things that we weren’t sharp [at].”
Cam Atkinson struck twice for the Jackets.
“He (Korpisalo) keeps us in the game. We need him to be one of our best players, if not our best, against obviously that team,” Atkinson said. “Especially on the power play as well, he made some huge saves and it gives us a lot of momentum on the bench.”
Ryan Murray, Riley Nash and Oliver Bjorkstrand also scored
“Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you get unlucky. I’ve been unlucky for a while now, but I was fortunate to get a bounce there,” Bjorkstrand said. “I think Sonny just tried to lay it in there and try to hope for a bounce and it hit me. So it’s nice.”
Columbus improved to 12-14-4.
[WATCH: All Blue Jackets vs. Capitals highlights]
Braden Holtby made 33 saves in the loss.
“There’s a lot of parity in the League,” Reirden said. “You’ve got to be on top of your game or you’re susceptible to ending up on the wrong end of things. We’ve been really consistent obviously through 30-plus games of doing that. Tonight, we weren’t. Had a bad start to the game (and) it cost us.”
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