The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Washington Capitals play the final game of their season series on Sunday.
On Saturday, the Columbus Blue Jackets dismantled a shorthanded Capitals team missing many of its regulars. The assumption is that Washington will send out its full roster today against Columbus to get complete retribution against the CBJ for the 7-0 drubbing at Nationwide Arena yesterday.
Although we shouldn't expect the Capitals to put themselves in any situations to cause injuries or suspensions, I fully expect them to come out and hit everything that moves wearing a Columbus jersey. Adam Fantilli should be especially cautious after putting a big, legal hit on Caps rookie Ryan Leonard. The hit sent Leonard to the ice, where he would kneel on all fours as Fantilli would go back down the ice and score.
With yesterday's win and the Canadiens OT loss, the Jackets were able to stay alive in the wild card race for one more day. With any kind of loss today, though, that dream would be over.
Blue Jackets Stats
- Power Play - 19.7% - 22nd in NHL
- Penalty Kill - 76.1% - 25th in NHL
- Goals For - 254 - 10th - 3.22 GPG - 10th
- Goals Against - 265 - 25th - 3.35 GPG - 27th
Capitals Stats
- Power Play – 23.5% - 13th in NHL
- Penalty Kill – 81.7% - 6th in NHL
- Goals For - 280 – 1st – 3.59 GPG – 1st
- Goals Against – 219 – 9th – 2.72 GPG – 9th
Series History vs. The Capitals
- Columbus is 9-14-4 on the road and 20-26-11 in 57 all-time meetings vs. the Capitals.
- The Jackets are 9-9-4 in the last 22 games vs. Washington.
Who To Watch For The Capitals
- Dylan Strome leads the team with 51 assists and 77 points.
- Alex Ovechkin leads the Caps with 42 goals.
- Charlie Lindgren is 19-13-3 with a SV% of .893.
CBJ Player Notes vs. Capitals
- Boone Jenner has 12 points in 34 career games against Washington.
- Zach Werenski has 10 points in 24 games.
- Sean Monahan has 17 points in 23 games against the Capitals.
Injuries
- Kevin Labanc (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve as of Feb. 21 and is out for the season (21 Games)
- Elvis Merzļikins (upper body) has missed 1 game.
- Jake Christiansen (upper body) has missed 2 games.
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 315
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
Let us know what you think below.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!
Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.