Blue Jackets’ win streak ends at 16 games

The Columbus Blue Jackets had their winning streak halted at 16 games yesterday after they failed to score a single goal and were routed 5-0 by the Washington Capitals.
 Braden Holtby stopped 29 shots for his fourth shutout of the season and the Capitals got goals from five different players as Columbus fell short of trying to match the NHL record of 17 straight victories, set in 1993 by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
 “That was one hell of a run by a hockey team. They should feel really good about it,” head coach John Tortorella said.
 The Blue Jackets’ success this season is surprising because they finished last in the Metropolitan Division last season and then Tortorella proved to be a bust as the US coach in September at the World Cup of Hockey. The Americans failed to win a game, finishing seventh out of eight teams and many thought Tortorella might be finished as an NHL coach.
 But one month after the World Cup debacle, the Blue Jackets decided to take a chance on Tortorella, who was suspended by the NHL for 15 games in 2014 after attempting to confront another coach outside the dressing rooms.
 The Blue Jackets improved to 27-6-4 on the season and hadn’t lost since November 26, when the Florida Panthers beat them in a shootout.
 “Quite honestly I thought the first 30 minutes we were a good hockey club,” Tortorella said. “We played well. We couldn’t find a way on Holtby, he made some great saves at key times, and then we kind of lost ourselves.”
 Washington took a 1-0 lead just over five minutes in and never looked back, getting a goal and an assist apiece from defencemen John Carlson and Nate Schmidt. Daniel Winnik, Andre Burakovsky and Justin Williams also scored goals.
 “I wanted to stop the streak,” Williams said. “Who wouldn’t want to stop a streak? I’m lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it.”
 The Capitals got goals from five different players, scoring two in the first period, another pair in the second and one more in the third as they preserved the record of 17 in a row set in 1993 by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
 The Blue Jackets (27-6-4) had not lost since November 26, when they were defeated in a shootout by the Florida Panthers.
 Washington (24-9-5) took a 1-0 lead just over five minutes in and never looked back, getting a goal and an assist apiece from defensemen John Carlson and Nate Schmidt. Daniel Winnik, Andre Burakovsky and Justin Williams also scored, and Evgeny Kuznetsov had two assists.
 Williams made it 5-0 at 5:36 of the third when he fired over Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s shoulder from a tough angle for his 11th goal. Bobrovsky, who allowed five goals on 23 shots while looking to extend his personal winning streak to 15 games, was then lifted in favor of Curtis McElhinney.
 Holtby bounced back from being pulled after allowing three goals on eight shots against Toronto on Tuesday to pick up his 27th career shutout.
 The Blue Jackets’ league-leading power-play unit was 0 for 5.
 Columbus, which won the first two meetings between the clubs this season before the streak began, outshot Washington 11-6 in the first period, but couldn’t get one past Holtby.
 The Caps broke on top at 5:06 of the period when Bobrovsky made a save on Jay Beagle in front, but Winnik came in to Bobrovsky’s left and banged the loose puck high into the net for his sixth of the season.
 Washington made it 2-0 midway through the period. Kuznetsov skated down the left side and dropped the puck back to Marcus Johansson, who fired a centering pass that caromed off the streaking Carlson’s skate and past Bobrovsky.
 It was the first time Columbus trailed by two goals during the winning streak.
 The Capitals made it 3-0 at 7:28 of the second period. Bobrovsky made the initial save on Schmidt’s shot from the top of the right circle, but Schmidt scored on the rebound. It was his first goal since Jan. 7, 2016 — a span of 67 games.
 Burakovsky made it 4-0 with 3:33 left in the second when his shot, off a pass from Carlson, deflected off Bobrovsky and in.
 Despite the defeat, coach Tortorella was understandably proud of his club. “I just addressed the team. I usually don’t go in the room, win or lose. All year long I haven’t been in there. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t,” Tortorella said. “That is one hell of a run by a hockey team. They should feel really good about it.”
 “We played well, we couldn’t find a way on Holtby. Made some great saves at key times and then we kind of lost ourselves,” the Columbus coach added. “I’m proud of the team. We’re a good hockey team. They’ll get a day off tomorrow and we’ll get whackin’ at it again against New York (Rangers) the next day.”
 Holtby, last year’s Vezina trophy winner as the NHL’s best netminder, saved all 29 shots he faced for his fourth shutout of the season.
 “It took a performance like Holtby’s to knock us off,” Columbus captain Nick Foligno told reporters. “We had chances, glorious chances that we seemed to shoot into him. Or even shots that were through screens and he just swallowed them up. Credit to him, he played outstanding tonight.”
 The Blue Jackets slipped to 27-6-4, but can take pride in rocketing to the best record in the league during their hot streak. Washington improved to 24-9-5. “That’s very impressive, the streak,” said Capitals coach Barry Trotz. “In this day and age that is very impressive.”
 After a pair of goals in each of the first two periods at the Verizon Center in Washington, Justin Williams capped the scoring at 5:36 of the third when he fired over Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky’s shoulder from a tough angle.
 “I wanted to stop the streak,” Williams said. “Who wouldn’t want to stop a streak? I’m lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about it.”