Ovechkin scored a goal and two assists to help the Capitals get past the Blue Jackets

Andrew Mangiapane extended the lead to 3-0 with the rebound of Jakub Vrana's shot at 7:28.

Ovechkin made it 4-0 at 14:34 when he scored with a slap shot from above the left circle through the five-hole after a pass from Strome.

Nic Dowd gave the Capitals a 5-0 lead at 14:58 when he intercepted a pass from Trevor van Riemsdyk on the rush.

“We were just early and they kept pushing and we just weren't getting anything going at that point,” Severson said. “Of course it’s 5-0 after one. The game definitely wasn’t over, but it was hard to come back from it.”

Severson made it 5-1 49 seconds into the second period when his wrist shot leaked between Thompson's pads.

McMichael extended Washington's lead to 6-1 after 4:51. Tarasov initially blocked Tom Wilson's shot from the left circle on a 2-on-1, but McMichael deflected the rebound in the goal area past Columbus defender David Jiricek for his fourth goal in three games.

“The ones we gave up were 3-on-1s and 2-on-1s,” Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson said. “The second wave put us in the net all night long, and that can’t happen in the NHL.”

Labanc brought the Blue Jackets to within 6-2 at 2:36 p.m. after a video review showed the puck crossed the line on a forward attack.

Strome scored with 1:26 left in the third period off a pass from Ovechkin to make the final score 7-2.

“What I like about today is that he took the lead from the start,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said of Strome. “I thought his first period was outstanding. And not only did the two plays he was a part of result in goals, but there were four or five different plays without the puck.”

NOTES: Ovechkin has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his last three games. … Strome leads the Capitals in assists (12) and points (16) and has scored at least one point in nine of Washington's 10 games. … Protas has seven points (three goals, four assists) during a three-game point streak. … Columbus center Sean Kuraly won 11 of 13 faceoffs (85 percent). … The Capitals were 0-1 on the power play, while the Blue Jackets were 13-15 on the penalty kill in their last six games.