Columbus Blue Jackets (47-19-6) at Washington Capitals (47-17-8)
THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2017, 7 p.m. (VERIZON CENTER)
In many ways, Thursday's clash is fitting between the Blue Jackets and the Caps, who are separated by just two points in the Metropolitan Division (102 for Washington, 100 for Columbus) with 10 games to play.
In many ways, the teams have been mirror images of each other's consistency throughout the year. Washington (third in goals per game and first in goals allowed per game) and Columbus (fourth and third, respectively) are the only two teams in the NHL in the top five in both categories.
The two teams have gotten to that point thanks to excellent goaltending from Braden Holtby and Sergei Bobrovsky. The two are the only netminders to rank in the top five in wins, shutouts, goals-against average and save percentage this season.
When it comes to goal differential, Washington is at 232 for and 161 against, a plus-71 mark that leads the NHL. Who is second? Columbus at plus-61 thanks to 230 for and 169 against.
There are a lot of similarities, but Columbus will want to prevent that two-point gap from getting any bigger at the top of the Metropolitan Division standings, making the contest one of the most crucial in the stretch battle for the Presidents' Cup, the division title and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
"I think it's great," Caps coach Barry Trotz, whose team is 3-0-1 in its last four, said of the battle. "You talk about being in a position to prepare yourself for the playoffs, we're going to have a couple of playoff games head-to-head with Columbus. The games that are against other opponents, they're going to have a big impact on the playoffs and where you sit in the playoffs."
Adding a little flair is the fact it was Washington that ended Columbus' historic 16-game win streak in January, dealing the Blue Jackets a 5-0 loss in our nation's capital.
You Oughta Know: Alex Ovechkin
With 29 goals on the season, Ovechkin is aiming to become the third player in NHL history to score 30 or more goals in each of his first 12 seasons, joining Mike Gartner (first 15 seasons) and Wayne Gretzky (13). Ovechkin is also aiming to become the only player in the NHL to score 30 or more goals in every season since 2005-06. The sniper, who loves to hang out in the left circle on the power play, has a 2-4-6 line in the last four games. That hot streak, including a PPG on Tuesday vs. Calgary, comes after an uncharacteristic cold snap in which Ovechkin had a goal and five assists in 14 games.
[Fire Emoji] Right Now
- Nicklas Backstrom recorded three points (1g, 2a) on Tuesday against Calgary, marking his third three-point game in his last four games. Backstrom ranks tied for first in the NHL in three-point games this season with nine and has earned 31 points in his last 23 games (nine goals, 22 assists).
- Holtby has posted a 22-3-3 record in his last 30 games with five shutouts, a 2.03 GAA and a .924 save percentage.
- T.J. Oshie earned two points Tuesday against Calgary, including his career-high 30th goal of the season. He is the first Capitals player other than Alex Ovechkin to score 30 goals in a season since 2009-10 (Alex Semin, 40; Backstrom, 33)
Five Fast Facts
- The Caps are 29-6-2 at home this season, while the Blue Jackets have recorded 20 road wins in a season for the third time in club history.
- The Capitals have scored 28 power-play goals in their last 33 games, posting a 29.2-percent power-play success rate during that span.
- The Capitals are 32-4-3 this season in games when they have one day of rest.
- Injury report: None. The Captials have lost just 42 man games to injury this season
- Former Blue Jackets: None
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: Nov. 15: CBJ 2, WAS 1 (OT)
Nov. 20: CBJ 3, WAS 2
Jan. 5: WAS 5, CBJ 0
ALL TIME SERIES: CBJ trails 11-13-1-5
Keys to the Game
Stay out of the Box: OK, we put this one here last night, and a power-play goal early on by Auston Matthews helped Toronto to the win. The same must be true tonight, as the Caps' power play has been on fire of late. Discipline will be key.
Score a PP Goal: On the flip side, a key piece of Columbus' inability to complete the comeback vs. Toronto was a five-minute-plus power play in the third that ended without a goal. In fact, the Blue Jackets' once firing power play has just six goals since Jan. 24, a span of 25 games.
Get in Front: Both teams have been among the best in the NHL this year playing from ahead, and Washington also has the rest advantage having a day off unlike Columbus. Having to chase the game wouldn't be a good idea for the Jackets.
Capitals Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Alexander Ovechkin | 72 GP, 29-33-62 | 19 | Niklas Backstrom | 72 GP, 21-57-78 | 77 | T.J. Oshie | 59 GP, 30-20-50 |
| 90 | Marcus Johansson | 72 GP, 22-24-46 | 92 | Evgeni Kuznetsov | 72 GP, 17-37-54 | 14 | Justin Williams | 71 GP, 20-19-39 |
| 26 | Daniel Winnik | 62 GP, 9-11-20 | 83 | Jay Beagle | 71 GP, 12-15-27 | 43 | Tom Wilson | 72 GP, 6-10-16 |
| 65 | Andre Burakovsky | 54 GP, 11-20-31 | 20 | Lars Eller | 71 GP, 10-12-22 | 10 | Brett Connolly | 58 GP, 15-6-21 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Kevin Shattenkirk | 70 GP, 12-36-48, -12 | 44 | Brooks Orpik | 69 GP, 0-13-13, +32 |
| 2 | Matt Niskanen | 69 GP, 4-32-36, +23 | 9 | Dmitry Orlov | 72 GP, 5-25-30, +29 |
| 74 | John Carlson | 66 GP, 8-28-36, +11 | 27 | Karl Alzner | 72 GP, 3-10-13, +21 |
| # | Player | GP | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | Braden Holtby | 56 | 37-11-6 | 2.05 | .925 | 8 |
| 31 | Philipp Grubauer | 19 | 10-6-2 | 2.10 | .925 | 3 |
10 Stats to Know
Impress your friends and enemies alike with these 10 key Capitals stats.
| Last 10 | Standings | PP% | PK% | CF60 (5x5) | CA60 (5x5 | PDO | OT (SHO) | FO% | 5x5 GF-GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-4-1 | 1st, Metro | 22.0 (6) | 83.8 (8) | 56.38 | 53.34 | 103.52 (1st) | 8-8 (1-5) | 50.1 (13) | 159-96 |
