"Coach Bruce Boudreau entered training camp watching and waiting for one of several hopefuls to assert himself in the race for the lone spot up for grabs on the Washington Capitals' roster. Through the first 11 days of the preseason, he's still waiting for a front-runner to emerge.

Monday night at Verizon Center, three of the four contenders for that position were in the lineup and played a key role in a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, who dressed little of their NHL roster.

Playing on a line together, Cody Eakin, Mathieu Perreault and Chris Bourque recorded a goal, a goal and an assist and three assists, respectively, helping the Capitals capture their first victory of the preseason. The only problem is, each had a positive showing with the help of the others."