Wilson and Backstrom return to action
Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson made their debuts this season and the Washington Capitals shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 on Sunday.
It was the first time Backstrom and Wilson had been on the ice at Capital One Arena since the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in May. Both underwent major operations in the offseason — Backstrom underwent hip resurfacing surgery and Wilson had anterior cruciate ligament surgery.
After nearly eight months of rehabilitation, the two were allowed to make their long-awaited returns and were quickly integrated into the top two lines.
Anthony Mantha’s name has been dropped from the roster for the first time with the Capitals. Nicolas Aubé-Kubel was also excluded.
Erik Gustafsson found the back of the net just 2:43 minutes into the game and secured the win for the Capitals.
Darcy Kuemper made 37 saves and earned his fourth shutout of the season.
Elvis Merzlikins made 18 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have now lost 10 of their last 12 games.
Associated Press