| WSH | CBJ | |
|---|---|---|
| 17-19-4 | ROAD / HOME | 20-12-8 |
| 3.20 | GOALS FOR | 3.02 |
| 2.93 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.07 |
| 17.6% | POWER PLAY | 19.0% |
| 80.0% | PENALTY KILL | 76.1% |
| 28.1 | SHOTS FOR | 29.4 |
| 28.1 | SHOTS AGAINST | 28.9 |
| 49.3% | FACEOFF % | 50.6% |
| CAPITALS: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| WED, 4/8 | @ Maple Leafs | W, 4-0 |
| SAT, 4/11 | @ Penguins | W, 6-3 |
| SUN, 4/12 | vs. Penguins | W, 3-0 |
| CAPITALS: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | Alex Ovechkin | 32 |
| ASSISTS | Dylan Strome | 39 |
| POINTS | Alex Ovechkin | 61 |
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 57% | |
| CBJ ODDS PER DRAFTKINGS: | -155 | |
The Columbus Blue Jackets (40-29-12, 92 points) were eliminated from playoff contention Monday night, bringing to an end a season that had extreme highs and, somehow, even more extreme lows.
Their opponent in the season finale: the other team in the Metropolitan division eliminated Monday night, the Washington Capitals (42-30-9, 93 points).
Both eliminations came as a result of the Philadelphia Flyers win Monday night over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in round one of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Here are five things to know before the 7:00 puck-drop, the final of the season:
-
Is this Alex Ovechkin's last NHL game? It would be apropos, as Ovie's first career game was also against the Blue Jackets. That was October 5, 2005 — Ovechkin scored twice in the Caps 3-2 win and would go on to score 52 goals and add 54 assists (106 points) in his rookie season.
-
The goalie matchup will be Jet Greaves vs. Clay Stevenson. Head coach Rick Bowness said Tuesday that "Jet deserves to be in that net tonight." Greaves was sensational for large parts of the season, and there's no doubt that the Blue Jackets would have been eliminated much earlier without his steady hand in net. For the Caps, Stevenson's start will be the fourth of this season and the fifth of his career.
-
Zach Werenski needs one assist to set the new franchise record for most in a season. He's at 59 right now, tied with himself and Artemi Panarin for the club record. Werenski's next point would also match his career high of 82, set last season.
-
Miles Wood needs one more goal for 100 in his career. This will be his last chance to get it this season, of course, but this is also his last chance to score in front of his home fans this season. All eight of Wood's goals this season have come on the road.
- There won't be many changes to the lineup from Sunday. Jake Christiansen will come in for Egor Zamula on the third defensive pairing, but all other combinations are expected to remain the same. Here are the complete lineup projections:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | Kirill Marchenko | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 21 | Isac Lundeström |
| 4 | Cole Sillinger | 3 | Charlie Coyle | 83 | Conor Garland |
| 17 | Mason Marchment | 38 | Boone Jenner | 43 | Danton Heinen |
| 11 | Miles Wood | 23 | Sean Monahan | 91 | Kent Johnson |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 15 | Dante Fabbro |
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 5 | Denton Mateychuk |
| 2 | Jake Christiansen | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | Jet Greaves | 90 | Elvis Merzlikins |
