Blue Jackets vs. Capitals Prediction
A collapse by the Washington Capitals in Game 1 saw them fall to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Will Washington be able to even the series at a game apiece tonight as it hosts Game 2?
Game Snapshot
23 Columbus Blue Jackets at 24 Washington Capitals
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Capital One Arepa at 7:30PM ET
TV: NBCSN
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Capitals are a -150 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Blue Jackets are a +130 underdog, while the total is set at 5.5 goals. As of Sunday afternoon, 79 percent of public bets are pouring in on Washington. Check out our NHL Public Betting Page for up-to-date info.
Grubauer will start again for Caps
Washington Capitals goalie Philipp Grubauer started Game 1 ahead of Braden Holtby and was shaky at best, allowing four goals on 27 shots including the game-winner 6:02 into overtime as Columbus won 4-3. It was announced this morning that Grubauer will continue to man the pipes in Game 2 and look to better his performance. After a solid regular season as the Caps’ backup and often outplaying Holtby, bouncing back is certainly a strong possibility for Grubauer.
Ovechkin with a quiet opener
Alexander Ovechkin is much-maligned basically any time he falls short of a hat trick in the postseason it seems, due to Washington’s inability to make it far into the playoffs over the past decade. Ovechkin was held off the scoresheet in the series opener and had four shots on goal in 25:42 of ice time. After racking up 49 goals and 38 assists in 82 games during the regular season, it is probably only a matter of time before Ovechkin gets rolling. Of course, if he doesn’t the Capitals are probably screwed.
NHL Betting Trends
Columbus
The over is 5-0 in the last five Blue Jackets games against the Metropolitan Division. Columbus is 1-4 in its last five games at Washington and 2-6 overall in the last eight meetings.
Washington
The over is 4-0 in the last four Capitals games overall. The over is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings. Washington is 1-4 in its last five Sunday games.
Prediction:
Maybe we shouldn’t be betting on Washington to not collapse until it actually shows signs it won’t fail in the playoffs? Just a thought. I like the price on Columbus here and the Capitals are going to have a tremendous amount of pressure on them to get a win tonight. The crowd will start booing early if things are going poorly. I’m going to ride it out with the Blue Jackets tonight.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS +130