Washington Capitals (31-18-7 69pts) v. Columbus Blue Jackets (31-20-3 65pts)
Time: 7p EST
Station: NBC Sports Washington and Fox Sports Ohio
Preview:
The Washington Capitals hit the road for the first time since returning from the bye week as they take on Metropolitan Division rival Columbus Blue Jackets for their second game of their back to back, and first game of their six game road trip. The Capitals are coming off a 6-4 win last night over the Los Angeles Kings.
The last time these two teams faced off the Blue Jackets would win in overtime and mock Evgeny Kuznetsov’s “Bird” celebration. The motivation is there, as well as the fire in this rivalry.
Washington Capitals:
Projected Lineup:
Alex Ovechkin — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson
Jakub Vrana — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Andre Burakovsky — Lars Eller — Brett Connolly
Chandler Stephenson — Nic Dowd — Devante Smith-Pelly
Michal Kempny — John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov — Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik — Christian Djoos
Braden Holtby
Pheonix Copley
Scratched: Madison Bowey, Dmitrij Jaskin, Travis Boyd
Keys to the Game:
1. Be consistent all 60 minutes
The Capitals need to be consistent for a full 60 minutes if they look to defeat the Blue Jackets. If the Capitals can continue a steady pace throughout, they will have a legitimate chance of winning.
Columbus Blue Jackets:
Projected Lineup:
Artemi Panarin — Pierre-Luc Dubois — Cam Atkinson
Nick Foligno — Boone Jenner — Josh Anderson
Anthony Duclair — Alexander Wennberg — Oliver Bjorkstrand
Markus Hannikainen — Riley Nash — Lukas Sedlak
Seth Jones — Ryan Murray
Zach Werenski — David Savard
Scott Harrington — Markus Nutivaara
Sergei Bobrovsky
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratched: Dean Kukan, Eric Robinson
Injured: Brandon Dubinsky (hip)
Keys to the Game:
1. Rattle the Capitals
The Blue Jackets mocked Evgeny Kuznetsov last time these two teams faced with hopes of rattling the team, but to no affect. An early lead though, that can rattle the Capitals.
