Capitals 1 - 5 Blue Jackets
Final
  for this game

Blue Jackets swarm Caps for 5th straight win

Jan 18, 2014 - 4:24 AM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Cam Atkinson tallied twice and Jack Johnson added two assists, as Columbus took down Washington, 5-1, at Nationwide Arena.

Ryan Johansen, James Wisniewski and Mark Letestu also found the back of the net for the Blue Jackets, who extended their season-best win streak to five games.

Sergei Bobrovsky was solid in goal, making 26 saves. The 25-year-old Russian picked up his first win against his Friday foes since Jan. 18, 2011 for the Flyers.

"When we're at our best all four lines are buzzing and creating chances," said Atkinson. "Our power play was hot. [Bobrovsky] was good for us. Our [penalty kill] was strong. If you win the special teams, you're more likely going to win the game."

John Carlson produced the lone offense for the Capitals, who stumbled to their fourth straight defeat.

Philipp Grubauer was yanked and took the loss after giving up three goals on 14 shots in almost 22 minutes. Braden Holtby finished up by allowing two scores.

Any hopes Washington had of climbing back into the contest were dashed in a span of just over three minutes early in the third period.

Letestu pumped home a power-play score at 1:08 to give the hosts a 4-1 edge, then Atkinson measured Holtby for his second of the night with 4:24 played for a four-goal spread.

"You just can't let a game get away and be that easy. It's not right," said Caps head coach Adam Oates.

Wisniewski's shot on a power play at 12:08 of the first period gave the hosts the lead, and Columbus went into the second period leading 2-0 as Atkinson converted a Matt Calvert rebound from the right side with 52 seconds left.

Johansen beat Grubauer for a 3-0 advantage at 1:44 of the second period and Grubauer took a seat in favor of Holtby. Carlson put the Caps on the board on a floater from the point with 8:53 on the clock, but that was all for the visitors' arsenal.

Later in the frame, Bobrovsky made a glove stop on Alex Ovechkin, who was left all alone in the slot.

Game Notes

Atkinson registered his second multi-goal effort of the year, and first since netting a pair in a 5-4 win over New Jersey on Dec. 10 ... Bobrovsky, who had been in net for Columbus' previous two losses against the Caps this season (0-1-1), improved to 2-1-2 all-time against Washington ... The Blue Jackets travel to Buffalo Saturday, while the Capitals are in Manhattan on Sunday.






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