Game Preview: Alex Ovechkin Make Only Trip Of Season To Columbus As Blue Jackets, Caps Meet For A Final Time In 2023-24

WASHINGTON CAPITALS
16-9-4 (36 pts; .621%) ROSTER SCHEDULE
7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21 NATIONWIDE ARENA  COLUMBUS, OH
TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ Power Play
ODDS & LINE:
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 50%
TIPICO SPORTSBOOK: CBJ +100

Sort of odd to be completely done playing a divisional rival before Christmas, isn't it?

But that's the situation the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals will find themselves in when the final horn sounds at Nationwide Arena on Thursday, after the two teams meet for the third and final time in the 2023-24 season. 

With the NHL's scheduling format, each division plays 26 games within their own division — and with seven possible opponents for each team, that means that two teams will only meet three times in a season. The Capitals are one of those two teams for the Blue Jackets this season. (The other is the New York Islanders, which is the team Columbus traveled to just once this season.)

Nonetheless, the three meetings between the two teams happened in a relatively short span: the Blue Jackets lost by one goal in Washington on November 4th and November 18th; losses the team will look to avenge in Thursday's contest.

Here's what else to know as Columbus and Washington square off for the last time this season: 

TALKING POINTS: WSH

• How in the hell are the Capitals 16-9-4? The numbers indicate that they should not have a winning percentage anywhere near their .621 mark, good enough for the final wild card sport in a busy Eastern Conference. They rank 30th in the league in goals per game and in power play percentage. They have a goal differential of -9, which ranks 12th in the conference and 23rd in the league. They're 29th in shots per game and 29th in shooting percentage. This all translates to 16-9-2 if you have the best defense in the league by a country mile, but they don't — the 2.76 goals against per game is ranked 9th and the penalty kill is 10th. They're not even good at winning faceoffs, checking in at 27th. What the hell?
   
• As they prepare for game #30, no Washington Capital has 20 points yet this season, despite nine players missing one game or fewer this season. Dylan Strome leads the team in goals (13) and points (19).
   
• Yep, Dylan Strome. Not Alex Ovechkin, who has just five goals in 29 games this season. Surely he'll improve on that to avoid what would be a career-low 14 goals, but the 38-year-old appears to finally be slowing down.

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• How does a team respond to scoring nine goals in a game? It's a rhetorical question, but to give it an answer: there's usually a little bit of a comedown. In the Blue Jackets six other games of five goals or more this season, they have a combined 13 goals — an average of 2.16 per contest — in the following game. 
   
• Kirill Marchenko's club record for the fastest natural hat trick brought some well-deserved attention to the second-year player across the NHL. He's now tied with Boone Jenner for the team lead in goals (13) and has 34 goals through his first 90 NHL games. At this rate, which is bound to only improve given his ability and age, he would crack the top five in franchise goals in just three more seasons. 
   
• The defense is leaving a lot be desired as of late. Damon Severson should be returning soon from an injury, and while he got off to a somewhat rocky start prior to being sidelined November 21st, he'll be an improvement over guys like Jake Bean and Andrew Peeke, who have struggled in an expanded role. In advance of his return, watch for one Bean, Peeke, or Nick Blankenburg to try and separate themselves from the others to keep a spot in the lineup. 

Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change
Lines based on most recent practice/game, injury updates, and club news.