A couple of teams squaring off for the second time this season, the Washington Capitals and the Columbus Blue Jackets clash at Nationwide Arena. NBC Sports Washington will air this Metropolitan Division matchup, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, December 16.
Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus (+140) is currently the underdog to Washington (-160) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. If you want to play the matchup’s total, you’ll be looking at odds of -115 for the over and -105 on the under.
Washington is 24-10 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 9.3 units this season. Through 34 regular season outings, 22 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and none have pushed. As the away team this season, the Caps are 15-3 SU.
Washington has converted on 23.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, it has the sixth-best penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 85.1 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Washington has been penalized 4.2 times per game in the 2019-20 season, and 5.4 per game over its past five games. The team has been forced to kill penalties a whopping 14.2 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Averaging 28.0 saves per game with a .911 save percentage, Braden Holtby (16-8-4) has been the best option in goal for Washington this year. If it chooses to rest him, however, the team could go with Ilya Samsonov (8-3-1), who has a .918 save percentage and 2.38 goals against average this year.
John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin will both be relied on to facilitate things for the visiting Capitals. Carlson (45 points) has tallied 12 goals and 33 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 14 different games. Ovechkin has 21 goals and 12 assists to his name (and has notched at least one point in 20 games).
On the other bench, Columbus is 12-20 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 32 regular season contests, 18 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 8-9 SU as the home team this year.
Columbus has converted on 17.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 20th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.1 percent of all penalties.
The Blue Jackets have been penalized only 3.2 times per game this season, 3.4 per game over their past five games total, and 3.0 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 7.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Joonas Korpisalo has stopped 25.4 shots per game as the primary option in the crease for Columbus. Korpisalo has 12 wins, 13 losses, and three OT losses to his credit and has recorded a pedestrian 2.73 goals against average and a subpar .906 save percentage this season.
Gustav Nyquist (seven goals, 13 assists) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (10 goals, 10 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Blue Jackets.
Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- For both of these clubs, the game went under the total in three of their last five matchups.
- The Capitals are 7-3 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 12-5 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Washington (3-2 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Columbus fell short in its lone shootout this season.
- Columbus is ranked 28th overall this season with 6.5 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended lower recently, however, as the team has created 5.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Washington skaters have averaged 5.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.7 takeaways per game (ranked 14th in the NHL).
- Washington might hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s an impressive 12-6 in games decided by one goal, while Columbus is 9-11 in such games.
