WASHINGTON, DC — The Washington Capitals came into Sunday night’s game bone-tired. They’d come back barely 24 hours earlier from a week-long road trip that saw them play four games in six nights, and they hadn’t had more than a day off between games in more than a month.

“I’m not going to lie, I couldn’t believe waking up this morning we were going again tonight,” said Jakob Chychrun.

And after 10 straight games for the Capitals with three or more goals, Sunday’s contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets turned into a low-scoring affair that saw quality chances stopped on both ends of the ice. What, then, made the difference for Washington? Aliaksei Protas had a simple answer.

“Logan Thompson,” he said.

Thompson and Columbus netminder Jet Greaves each put up a dazzling performance on Sunday to turn the 2-0 Capitals win into a goalie duel. The two netminders stopped a combined 76 shots, allowing just one goal between them: Greaves stopped 36 of 37 shots, while Thompson earned his first shutout of the season with 39 saves.

“I thought both guys were unbelievable. Outstanding,” head coach Spencer Carbery said of the two. “I thought Jet Greaves was fantastic, and LT was just a little bit better.”

Or, as he said a little more bluntly in his postgame locker room speech: “Their guy was f***ing good, but our guy was f***ing better.”

The goaltenders’ nights would have been impressive enough on their own, but they came as the pair faced some of their heaviest workloads of the season. While Thompson’s clean sheet got him the win, Greaves’ play was arguably just as impressive: per MoneyPuck, Greaves saved 3.79 goals above expected, compared to Thompson’s 3.03.

“Jet was real good, real calm, made some real smothering type of saves where things didn’t compound into second, third opportunities,” Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason said of Greaves. “He looked real good.”

Greaves faltered just once. Early in the second period, Capitals defenseman Jakob Chychrun fired the puck from the left circle with little warning: Greaves crouched to make the save, but the shot flew past his blocker hand.

The Blue Jackets weren’t able to even the score, and an empty-net goal from Aliaksei Protas sealed the Capitals’ win.

After the game, Thompson highlighted the strength of Greaves’ play, both on Sunday and through his 37-NHL game career so far.

“I thought he was unbelievable,” Thompson said. “Since he’s come into to the league — last year, I think he really almost got them in the playoffs — he was really impressive, and he’s continuing it this year.

“So I’m really happy for him, especially one of those guys that’s a little undersized. But no, I think he’s done an incredible job for Columbus. And from what I’ve heard, he’s a really good human being as well, so really happy for him.”

Greaves had faced Thompson just once before, falling 5-1 in October, but he’s had plenty more experience against the Capitals organization. During his time with the Cleveland Monsters, Greaves nearly pushed the Hershey Bears to a historic failure in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. The Bears took a commanding 3-0 series lead, but Greaves earned three straight wins to force a Game 7.

The Bears eventually overcame Greaves with an overtime goal from Garrett Roe, going on to to repeat as Calder Cup champions that June.

Greaves, despite Sunday’s loss, had similarly high praise for Thompson.

“He’s a great goalie, down at the other end,” he said. “I think we’ve seen him a few times this year. He’s been really good every time we play him. So I’ve got a lot of respect for him. And for me, it’s just trying to do what I can to keep my team in the game and give us a chance.”

But while both goaltenders put up admirable showings, Thompson ultimately prevailed for the victory. Protas was especially happy to see Thompson get his first shutout of the season after so many near-misses.

“I think he deserved (a shutout) so many of those (games),” Protas said. “Like, the whole season. And just sometimes, a couple unlucky goals. I think he’s been one of the biggest parts of our team so far, for sure. And yeah, finally, we’re so happy he got this one. Absolutely well deserved.”

The Capitals and Blue Jackets won’t face off again until April 14, when they’ll meet at Columbus’ Nationwide Arena for the final game of the regular season.