The Washington Capitals face the Columbus Blue Jackets with both teams heading in opposite directions this season. The Capitals have a 26-20-6 record and are in the middle of the Metropolitan Division while the Blue Jackets have a 15-32-3 record and with two losses in a row, have the worst record in the division. Both teams are looking to improve in the division and the upcoming game looks to be a good one as a result.
The Capitals are having a great season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.10 goals per game. Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Dylan Strome have scored 49 goals and 82 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the forward unit has also stepped up. Conor Sheary, Marcus Johansson, and Anthony Mantha have combined for 34 goals and 46 assists while defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Nick Jensen have added eight goals and 39 assists from the point to help open up the offense.
The offense has been great but the defense has carried them, allowing only 2.83 goals per game. Erik Gustafsson and Trevor van Riemsdyk have combined for 5.7 defensive point shares and 153 blocked shots while Nick Jensen and Dmitry Orlov have combined for 5.2 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been great with a .915 save percentage and a 2.62 goals-ag ainst average on 983 shots.