WASHINGTON — The Washington Capitals closed out their preseason in winning fashion on Saturday, playing a solid 60 minutes for a convincing 2-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Dressing a predominantly veteran lineup and running what was close to their opening night lines, the Capitals played a smart game against Columbus and ultimately, were able to shut things down for the victory to finish the exhibition games with a 5-1 record.
After a tight first period, the third line got to work to open the scoring, jumpstarted by Ryan Leonard. Leonard, dodging checks and sticks in his way, managed to get the puck to a wide-open Ivan Miroshnichenko in the slot, who then found Declan Chisholm closing in to make it a 1-0 game.
Minutes later, Dylan McIlrath corralled the puck behind the net and got it out to Tom Wilson, who found Pierre-Luc Dubois up-ice on a 2-on-1 with Connor McMichael. Dubois called his own number, beating Elvis Merzlikins on a rocket of a shot to extend the lead to 2-0. McIlrath, who looked solid through the start, suffered a lower-body injury on the play and ultimately, after trying to return, retreated to the locker room early.
From there, it was up to Logan Thompson and Washington to shut things down, and that they did. Though Mathieu Olivier pulled the Jackets within one late, Thompson impressed with 29 saves on 30 shots and the penalty kill went 1-for-3 on the night to help D.C. hold on for the win.
The Capitals now have a couple of days to evaluate the roster before making final cuts, and there are some difficult decisions left to make, with Sonny Milano and Hendrix Lapierre expected to be locks, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Ethen Frank still fighting to stick around and McIlrath and Vincent Iorio battling it out for the final spot on the blue line.
McIlrath, if injured, cannot be placed on waivers, so that could also complicate final choices for the roster. He could go on the injured reserve if he qualifies.
Washington must submit its roster by Monday at 5 p.m. The team will then open the season on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins.