COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Nicklas Backstrom scored twice, Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist and Braden Holtby earned his league-leading 30th win to lift the NHL-best Washington Capitals past the last-place Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 on Tuesday night.
Marcus Johansson added a goal and an assist, and Jason Chimera and Andre Burakovsky also scored for Washington, off to the best start in franchise history at 35-8-3. Evgeny Kuznetsov had a career-high four assists, and Matt Niskanen chipped in with two.
Holtby made 32 saves after being pulled Saturday in a 4-1 loss to Buffalo. The following night he couldn’t finish a win against the Rangers because of a migraine that blurred his vision.