The Washington Capitals face the Columbus Blue Jackets with both teams heading in opposite directions this season. The Capitals have a 21-13-6 record and with seven wins in their last 10 games have leaped to the middle of the Metropolitan Division while the Blue Jackets have an 11-23-2 record and with only two wins in their last 10 games, are in last place in the division. Both teams are looking to improve in their divisions and the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game looks to be a good one as a result.
The Capitals are having a great season with their offense leading the way, scoring 3.28 goals per game with 16 goals in the last three games. Alexander Ovechkin, Dylan Strome, and Evgeny Kuznetsov have scored 42 goals and 67 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also stepped up. Conor Sheary, Anthony Mantha, and Marcus Johansson have combined for 30 goals and 39 assists while Erik Gustafsson and Nick Jensen have combined for seven goals and 33 assists from the point to open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has also stepped up, allowing only 2.78 goals per game. Erik Gustafsson and Nick Jensen have combined for 4.4 defensive point shares and 114 blocked shots while Trevor van Riemsdyk and Dmitry Orlov have combined for 3.8 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been great with a .916 save pe rcentage and a 2.58 goals-against average on 701 shots.