WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin had a goal and two assists in his third straight multipoint game, helping the Washington Capitals to a 7-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Capital One Arena on Saturday.

Ovechkin scored his fourth goal in three games and has 859 for his NHL career. He needs 36 goals to pass Wayne Gretzky (894) for first on the all-time list.

Connor McMichael scored twice, Dylan Strome had a goal and two assists, and Aliaksei Protas had a goal and an assist for the Capitals (8-2-0), who have won six straight home games. Logan Thompson made 34 saves.

Damon Severson and Kevin Labanc scored for the Blue Jackets (5-5-1), who lost to the Winnipeg Jets 6-2 on Friday. Daniil Tarasov made 15 saves.

Washington scored the first five goals of the game in the first period.

Protas gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead at 56 seconds, knocking in a return pass from Strome on a 2-on-0 rush.

McMichael made it 2-0 at 1:42, scoring on a wrist shot from the right face-off circle off a pass from Rasmus Sandin.

Andrew Mangiapane then increased the lead to 3-0 at 7:28 when he scored on the rebound of Jakub Vrana’s shot.

Ovechkin made it 4-0 at 14:34, scoring through the five-hole with a slap shot from above the left circle.

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

Damon Severson cut it to 5-1 at 49 seconds of the second period when his wrist shot trickled between Thompson’s pads.

McMichael pushed the Washington lead to 6-1 at 4:51. Tarasov made the initial save on Tom Wilson’s shot from the left circle a 2-on-1, but McMichael banked the rebound in off Columbus defenseman David Jiricek in the crease for his fourth goal in three games.

Labanc pulled the Blue Jackets within 6-2 at 14:36 after a video review determined the puck had crossed the line during a scramble in front.

Strome scored with 1:26 remaining in the third period off a pass from Ovechkin for the 7-2 final.