Jet Greaves shined for the Columbus Blue Jackets in their OT loss to the Washington Capitals

It was another ugly hockey game Thursday night at Nationwide Arena, but the Blue Jackets remained competitive enough to pick up a point against the Washington Capitals.

Although the Jackets had a surplus for the second straight game and struggled to keep the puck – problems that derailed them against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday – they did just enough against the Capitals to stay 1-2 -Narrow defeat in extra time.

They also featured an outstanding performance from rookie goaltender Jet Greaves, who made 35 saves against the Metropolitan Division’s leading team a day after being recalled from AHL Cleveland. Greaves, who bailed out the Jackets several times, was a driving force in taking the game to OT and securing a league point in a game they could have easily lost in regulation time.

“Obviously it’s a team game, but I would say he got a point for us,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “Yes, we were lucky to get a point in this game.”

The Capitals (20-6-2) benefited from their own outstanding goaltending after Charlie Lindgren stopped 32 of 33 shots in the win. Washington also outscored the Blue Jackets (12-14-3) by a 37-33 margin, winning on Aliaksei Protas’ second goal of the game 2:23 into OT.

Protas also tied the score at 1-1 just 31 seconds into the third period with a pass from former Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois past Greaves. His shot in OT was a wrister from the high slot off the left post and into the net.

“I saw it a little bit,” Greaves said. “I would like that for the boys, but it is what it is. There were many positive aspects that I will take with me for the future. There are also some things I will look at that I will learn from and move forward better.”

Zach Werenski’s 10^Th The goal of the season gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 14:12 of the second period and capped a power play with a laser shot from high position. The result remained the same after two periods, but the Capitals quickly equalized with Protas’ goal to open the third period.

His last goals against the Blue Jackets were the fourth and fifth goals of his career against Columbus in just nine games. They were also 10th^Th and 11^Th career points against the Blue Jackets, lifting the Capitals to their 10th^Th direct road victory.

“That’s a difficult question,” Werenski said. “They are 1-0 going into the third period and want to keep this lead for as long as possible. They come out pretty good in the first shift and score a goal to tie it… But then I even felt like we had a few chances to take the lead back in the third half. We didn’t do it. It would have been nice to have a 1-0 lead for a little longer in the third period.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Greaves shines for Columbus Blue Jackets in OT loss to Capitals