The Columbus Blue Jackets delivered a much better effort than the night before in Florida, but they still left Washington empty-handed after running into a brick wall named Logan Thompson. The Capitals’ goalie stopped all 39 shots he faced to earn his 100th NHL win and hand Columbus a 2–0 loss — a game that stayed tight at 1–0 until the empty netter in the final two minutes.
It was a frustrating night for a Blue Jackets team that had scored 12 goals in its last two games and had been rolling offensively. They created plenty of chances, especially in the third period when they outshot Washington 16–10, but Thompson shut the door on everything. He is now 3–0–0 against Columbus this season, stopping 95 of 97 shots in the three meetings. The good news for the Jackets: they don’t have to see him again until April 2026.
After a scoreless first period, Washington opened the scoring just 50 seconds into the second when Jakob Chychrun blasted home his 11th of the season off a clean passing sequence with Tom Wilson. That early strike forced the Jackets to chase the game, but despite long offensive-zone shifts and several high-danger looks, they couldn’t find the equalizer.
Columbus’ best opportunity came in the third period when they earned a four-minute power play, but their man advantage — which had scored in four straight games — went completely quiet. The Jackets finished 0-for-3, a major factor in a tight game where one goal could have changed everything.
Goaltender Jet Greaves did everything he could to keep his team alive, making 36 saves and continuing his strong run. He entered the night having earned points in nine straight games (4-0-5) and once again gave Columbus a chance to win.
Head coach Dean Evason liked the effort but pointed directly to one issue: finishing.
“We had plenty of opportunities to score… their goaltender’s played extremely well against us every night, but certainly did tonight. Some of the saves he made on his backside were incredible. But we certainly liked our compete.”
Defenseman Damon Severson echoed the same frustration:
“We had our chances. Plenty of goals yesterday. Tonight we had good opportunities too — we just couldn’t get one past Thompson.”
With Greaves pulled for the extra attacker, Aliaksei Protas sealed the game at 18:34 with an empty-net goal for the 2–0 final.
Despite the loss, this was a competitive performance for Columbus — a night where the effort was there, the chances were there, but the goals simply weren’t.
Game Stats
| Stat | Columbus | Washington |
| Final Score | 0 | 2 |
| Faceoff % | 47.5% | 52.5% |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/4 |
| Penalty Minutes | 8 | 6 |
| Hits | 12 | 16 |
| Blocked Shots | 7 | 11 |
| Giveaways | 17 | 15 |
| Takeaways | 5 | 4 |
3 Stars of the Game
L. Thompson (#48, WSH) – GAA: 0.00 | SV%: 1.000
J. Chychrun (#6, WSH) – 1 G, 0 A, 1 P
J. Greaves (#73, CBJ) – GAA: 1.05 | SV%: .973
My Takeaway
The Blue Jackets were inopportunistic tonight. They did everything you want offensively — shots from inside, outside, traffic, tips, rebounds — but they simply couldn’t finish. Only three players on the entire roster finished without a shot on goal, which shows how much pressure Columbus generated.
Kirill Marchenko led the way with 6 shots, while Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli each fired 4. The defense contributed too with 10 combined shots, but Logan Thompson robbed them all night long. It wasn’t just saves — it was robbery, the kind of goaltending that steals a game.
You get one or two nights like this every season where you do everything right except score. Tonight was exactly that.
And with the Olympics a few weeks away, Logan Thompson picked the perfect moment to make a statement. Performances like this force Team Canada to pay attention.
Final Thoughts
Columbus played well enough to win, but the lack of finish cost them again. When a team throws nearly 40 shots on net and controls long stretches of play, you expect at least one to go in — but they ran into a goalie who simply refused. Nights like this hurt because the effort was there, the structure was there, the chances were there… but the goals were not. In a tight Eastern Conference race, these missed points add up quickly.
Next Game – December 9 in Carolina (7:00 PM EDT)
The Blue Jackets wrap up their three-game road trip Tuesday in Carolina after stops in Florida and Washington. They will need to find a way to convert chances against a strong Hurricanes team. Columbus is 2-5-2 this season against Metropolitan Division opponents, and dropping four straight points in Florida and Washington only puts more pressure on this matchup. A response is needed to stay in the mix and avoid sliding further down the standings.
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