Columbus Blue Jackets (27 pts) vs. Washington Capitals (40 pts) Game Preview

The Blue Jackets welcome the Alex Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals into Columbus tonight.

But don't let the fact that they're missing Ovi fool you, the Capitals are playing lights-out hockey since their Captain went down with a leg injury. Since Ovechkin was put on IR on November 20th, the Caps are 7-1-1 and won their last two games.

The elite Caps have scored the second most amount of goals in the league, while also only giving up fifth least. So, not only can they score on you, but they can shut your offense down.

Their power play is mid-pack at 16th, which is surprising, but their PK is running at a stout 83.7%, which is 4th in the league. This game won't be easy for Columbus, but at least they're getting them at home.

The Capitals are currently 1st in the Metro, 1st in the East, and 3rd in the NHL.

Series History vs. The Capitals

• Columbus is 10-12-5 at home against Washington and 19-26-10 in all meetings.

• The Jackets are 8-9-3 in the last 20 games vs. the Caps.

• The Caps have won two straight overtime games at Nationwide Arena.

Who To Watch For The Capitals

• Dylan Strome leads the teams in assists with 26 and points with 35.

• Connor McMichael is tied for the team lead in goals with 15 (Ovechkin).

• Goalie Logan Thompson is 11-1 with a .913 SP.

• Charlie Lindgren is 8-5 with a .894 SP.

CBJ Player Notes vs. The Capitals

• James van Riemsdyk has 32 points in 50 points vs. the Caps.

• Sean Monahan has 14 points in 21 games.

• Damon Severson has 19 points in 30 career games vs. Washington.

Injuries

• Boone Jenner (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 7; (28 Games)

• Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16; (25 Games)

• Yegor Chinakhov (upper body); (7 Games)

TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 105

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.

What do you think? Please share your thoughts on our forum.