Nationwide Arena plays host to a divisional tilt as the Washington Capitals take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. The action will get started at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 6, and you’ll be able to view it live on Fox Sports Ohio.
Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus comes into the contest as the slight favorite with a -115 moneyline. The line for Washington sits at -105, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 under, +100 over.
Washington is 30-22 straight up (SU) and has earned 3.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 30 of its matches have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and none have pushed. The Caps are 11-13 SU as the away team in 2017-18.
Washington has converted on 20.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.6 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Caps have been whistled for penalties 4.2 times per game overall in the 2017-18 season, and 4.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last five outings.
With a .914 save percentage and 28.4 saves per game, Braden Holtby (26-12-2) has been the top option in goal for Washington this year. If Washington decides to rest him, however, they could turn to Philipp Grubauer (4-14-3), who has a .913 save percentage and 2.69 goals against average this year.
Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov will both lead the way for the visiting Capitals. Ovechkin (56 points) has tallied 32 goals and 24 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 15 different games. Kuznetsov has 14 goals and 35 assists to his creditand has registered a point in 31 games.
Columbus is 27-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.7 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 29 of its matches have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 16-10 SU at home this season.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 14.2 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 28th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.6 percent of all penalties.
Blue Jackets players have been whistled for penalties only 3.1 times per game in total this season, 3.0 per game over their last five games total, and 3.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 5.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sergei Bobrovsky has stopped 28.8 shots per game as the top choice in goal for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky has 22 wins, 20 losses, and four OT losses to his name and has maintained a .921 save percentage and 2.46 goals against average this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Artemi Panarin (13 goals, 29 assists).
Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Free Picks
Free Pick: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- A majority (56.7 percent) of Washington’s wins have come by two or more goals, and the team is 17-13 overall in such games. 11 of Columbus wins (40.7 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
- The Capitals are 11-5 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 16-10 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Three of Columbus last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 2-1 in those games and 6-4 overall in shootouts this season.
- The under has hit in three of Columbus last five outings.
- Columbus has averaged 2.0 goals per game, while allowing 3.3, on its three-game losing skid.
- Columbus skaters have averaged 5.4 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 6.1 giveaways per game (ranked 4th in the NHL).
- Washington is ranked 24th this season with 11.3 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as it’s averaged 9.4 giveaways over its last 10 games and 8.2 giveaways over its last five.
- Washington skaters have dished out the ninth-most hits in the league (22.7 per game).
