Game #70 Preview: Blue Jackets wrap extended road trip with visit to swooning Capitals
Here’s what you need to know.
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Washington Capitals
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 - 7:00 PM EST
Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
TV: Bally’s Sports Ohio - Radio: WBNS FM
Opponent’s blog: Japers’ Rink
Columbus Blue Jackets, 21-41-7, 49 points, 8th Metro, 16th East
@
Washington Capitals, 33-31-7, 73 points, 6th Metro, 10th East
The Columbus Blue Jackets wrap up their road trip tonight with a visit to the Washington Capitals. The Capitals have swooned this season, largely due to injuries, but their aging roster is doing them no favors - the Capitals are likely to miss the playoffs this season, but have played large stretches of the season with injuries to Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, and John Carlson.
The Jackets are coming off a demolition against the Vegas Golden Knights where they capitulated down the stretch. The Jackets have little to play for at this stretch outside of development and Connor Bedard odds, so here’s hoping the team takes a positive step in both directions tonight.
Player to Watch
Rasmus Sandin
Sandin, acquired at the trade deadline from the Toronto Maple Leafs, has 11 points in eight games since coming to the Capitals. Sandin, a previous first round pick (29th overall in the 2018 draft), never found his stride in Toronto. In three and a half seasons with the Leafs, Sandin played 140 games, totaled 10-38-48, and only averaged 16:40 for a defensively inconsistent group - Sandin never fulled earned head coach Sheldon Keefe’s trust. In Washington, Sandin is averaging 24:56 per contest with 1-10-11 and looks rejuvenated.
Jackets Notes
The Blue Jackets signed college free agent Hunter McKown to a three year ELC .. McKown, age 20, posted a 36-19-55 line with 75 PIM in 96 games at Colorado College … McKown is listed at 6-1, 205 and represented Team USA at the 2022 IIHF World Juniors … Patrik Laine, who played center for the first time in his seven year career on Sunday, had an xGF of 93.4% … Laine had two assists against Vegas on Sunday
🚨 potential goal of the year by Hunter McKown 🚨 pic.twitter.com/t5GsUrAHff
— EVERYTHING COLLEGE HOCKEY (@TeamECH) December 10, 2022
The Other Bench
Alex Ovechkin is 75 goals from tying, 76 goals from passing Wayne Gretzky’s goal total of 894 … Ovechkin scored two on Sunday in a loss to the Minnesota Wild … John Carlson is expected to return to the Capitals soon, three months after he suffered a fractured skill and lacerated temporal artery … Carlson has returned to practice, and is wearing a regular sweater
Season Series
01/05/2023 WAS 6 @ CBJ 2
01/08/2023 CBJ 0 @ WAS 1
01/31/2023 WAS 4 @ CBJ 3 (OT)
03/21/2023 CBJ @ WAS
Stats
| Washington | Columbus | |
|---|---|---|
| 3.08 (20) | GPG | 2.62 (29) |
| 3.04 (14) | GAPG | 3.86 (31) |
| 21.4% (15) | PP% | 18.6% (25) |
| 83.1% (4) | PK% | 76.2% (22) |
| 50.67% (16) | 5v5 Shot Attempt % | 45.59% (28) |
| 50.21% (19) | 5v5 Unblocked shot attempt % | 45.09% (28) |
| 8.46% (17) | 5v5 Shooting % | 7.66% (29) |
| .909 (22) | 5v5 Save % | .906 (25) |
| Alex Ovechkin, 39 | G Leader | Boone Jenner, 23 |
| Evgeny Kuznetsov, 39 | A Leader | Johnny Gaudreau, 46 |
| Alex Ovechkin, 68 | P Leader | Johnny Gaudreau, 63 |
| TJ Oshie, 57 | PIM Leader | Mathieu Olivier, 81 |
| 16-14-4 | Home / Road | 8-21-5 |
| 4-5-1 | Last 10 | 2-6-2 |
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
| Johnny Gaudreau | Boone Jenner | Emil Bemstrom |
| Patrik Laine | Jack Roslovic | Kirill Marchenko |
| Eric Robinson | Cole Sillinger | Kent Johnson |
| Liam Foudy | Lane Pederson | Mathieu Olivier |
| Nick Blankenburg | Erik Gudbranson |
| Tim Berni | Andrew Peeke |
| Gavin Bayreuther | Adam Boqvist |
| Daniil Tarasov |
| Michael Hutchinson |
Washington Capitals
| Alex Ovechkin | Dylan Strome | Conor Sheary |
| TJ Oshie | Evgeny Kuznetsov | Tom Wilson |
| Sonny Milano | Nicklas Backstrom | Craig Smith |
| Aliaksei Protas | Nic Dowd | Nicolas Aube-Kubel |
| Rasmus Sandin | Trevor van Riemsdyk |
| Alexander Alexyev | Martin Fehervary |
| Matt Irwin | Gabriel Carlsson |
| Charlie Lindgren |
| Zach Fucale |