Less than eight minutes later, Mantha found the net – this time with some luck after the puck ricocheted off the end boards and bounced off Korpisalo’s skate – and as the Capitals remained one of hottest teams in the NHL with a dominating 7-2 victory, Mantha again proved to be a big reason.
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“You see it there. It’s a big body. He has a very good level of skill,” said coach Peter Laviolette. “He can make games.”
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Washington (34-18-10) is 6-0-1 in its last seven games, a streak that will be put to the test on Friday night when it visits the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes. The Capitals’ back-to-back offense couldn’t have gone better — Washington took a 4-1 second-period lead on a goal from Alex Ovechkin, who two nights earlier passed Jaromir Jagr for third overall times, and goaltender Vitek Vanecek (39 saves) earned his sixth straight start.
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“Vitek made some big saves,” said Laviolette. “Looked like he was busy all night.”
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Columbus (31-28-3) entered the night 11 points behind Washington in the Metropolitan standings with 21 games to go, desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive – and the Blue Jackets spiced it up Vanecek early. But the Capitals quickly took control after TJ Oshie fed Mantha for his first goal to make it 1-0 less than five minutes into the game.
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The second line outplayed the Blue Jackets in a crucial change later in the period. After Columbus failed to clear the puck, Mantha took a wrist which landed behind the net, only to see the puck bounce off the boards, onto Korpisalo’s skate and inside.
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“We came back to the locker room with a 2-0 lead and we just built on that and were able to put the game away,” Mantha said.
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Korpisalo was pulled early in the second period after Washington’s Martin Fehervary scored his fifth goal on assists from Daniel Sprong and John Carlson to make it 3-0.
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The Blue Jackets went to two on a power-play goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand at 6:57, but the Capitals responded with their own power-play score from Ovechkin at 10:44.
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“Getting back that three-goal lead was important,” Laviolette said of Ovechkin’s 38th goal of the season.
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Here’s what else to know about the Capitals’ win:
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Balanced Attack of Mantha Keys
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After missing four months following shoulder surgery, Mantha has played seven games since returning this month – and he has five points in his last five, including four goals.
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“He feels good. I’ve worked extremely hard in those four months, and it feels good to be out there, playing, having fun,” Mantha said.
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Mantha played 13 multi-goal games in five seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, but Thursday won his first game with the Capitals. He energized his team with his first goal in a win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday – and he did it again on Thursday, leading a balanced offense that included goals from Connor McMichael, Conor Sheary and Evgeny Kuznetsov in the third period .
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McMichael was credited with a goal, making it 5-2, after a Columbus defenseman fired the puck into his own net. Sheary scored an empty goal later in the period, and Kuznetsov made it 7-2 with his 20th power-play goal with just under 11 minutes to go.
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Oshie comes out early; Eller again
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Oshie left the game in the third period after suffering a lower body injury and did not return. His status for Friday is unclear.
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Center Lars Eller was out of the lineup again and remains under NHL coronavirus protocols after testing positive after the Capitals game in Vancouver last week. Washington didn’t provide a timeline on when Eller could join the team, and the Capitals relied on a third line of Sprong, McMichael and Tom Wilson for a second straight game.
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Vanecek extends a perfect month
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Vanecek has started six of the Capitals’ last seven games and improved to 6-0 in March with Thursday’s win.
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He held Columbus at bay for long stretches, including several key first-period saves on close-range shots. Late in the second, he made a series of saves on a Blue Jackets power play that kept the Capitals up 4-1. Washington killed 4 of Columbus’ 5 powerplays.
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“Amazing,” Mantha said. “They had some power plays and he was strong, as he has been for the past few months. He plays the unreal.
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