Capitals vs Blue Jackets Prediction, Prop Picks & Odds for Saturday (Apr. 12)

• The Washington Capitals visit the Columbus Blue Jackets in a Saturday matinee matchup
• The Caps are road underdogs, as Columbus has kept their slim playoff hopes alive
• Read on for our Capitals vs Blue Jackets predictions, featuring a best bet and two player props

The Washington Capitals (50-19-9) travel to Ohio for an early afternoon tilt against the Columbus Blue Jackets (36-33-9) on Saturday. Puck drop from Nationwide Arena is set for 12:30 pm ET, with ABC carrying the national broadcast.

NHL odds now favor the Columbus Blue Jackets, installing them as -125 moneyline home favorites. The total is set at 6.5 goals, juiced to the Under at -115 as Alex Ovechkin will be a healthy scratch..

Let’s break down the matchup and offer up our best Capitals vs Blue Jackets prediction and pick.

Capitals vs Blue Jackets Prediction

While Washington has clinched a playoff spot, Columbus is still clinging to faint postseason aspirations. The Jackets have rattled off back-to-back wins to stave off elimination, but they need a victory on Saturday to keep those hopes alive.

Expect the Caps to get Columbus’ best effort as a result. The Blue Jackets have been a stellar Over bet all season long, going above the total in 44 of 78 games. They’re the second-most profitable Over team in the NHL, netting backers +8.75 units along the way.

The high-scoring trend is even more prevalent at Nationwide Arena, where the Jackets are 25-13-1 to the Over. CBJ home games average a healthy 6.7 total goals, and I expect more of the same on Saturday afternoon.

Washington has been filling the net themselves of late. The Over has hit in six of the Caps’ last nine contests, including a wild 5-4 shootout win over Carolina on Thursday. While future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin will be sitting this one out for rest-related reasons, the Caps have six other players with 20-plus goals.

These teams have already shown a tendency for high-scoring affairs this season. The last two meetings saw totals of 9 and 3 goals, with three of the previous six matchups reaching the 6+ goal threshold.

Key Capitals vs Blue Jackets Stats

Charlie Lindgren will likely start for Washington, and the veteran journeyman has struggled in April with a 3.37 GAA and .868 save percentage. The Blue Jackets are expected to counter with Jet Greaves, who has been solid in limited action but remains relatively inexperienced.

From an offensive standpoint, these teams match up well. The Caps are first in the NHL in goals per game (3.59), with Ovechkin, Aliaksei Protas, Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson and Pierre-Luc Dubois all topping the 60-point plateau. Columbus has some firepower of their own, ranking 11th in scoring (3.17 goals/game).

Defensively, it’s a different story. The Jackets rank 27th in goals against per game (3.40) and 25th on the penalty kill. That spells trouble against a Washington power play clicking at a top-12 rate (23.7%).

The game script also favors a high-scoring affair. Columbus needs a win to maintain their playoff hopes, while the Caps are battling for seeding. In their last 10 games, CBJ contests are averaging a whopping 7.7 total goals, with both teams scoring 3.3+ goals per game over that span. Buckle up.

Capitals vs Blue Jackets Best Bets

Best Bet: Over 6.5 Goals (-105 at Caesars)
As outlined above, all signs point to a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair on Saturday afternoon. Hammer the Over and enjoy what should be a wildly entertaining matinee matchup.

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Prop Bet: Connor McMichael Anytime Goal (+280 at DraftKings)

With Ovechkin sitting this game out, Connor McMichael moves up to the top line with Dubois and Wilson. I think this bump up the depth chart will help the 24-year-old snap out of his eight-game goal drought. He’s projected to replace Ovi on the top power-play unit as well, and he scored twice against Columbus earlier in the season.

Prop Bet: Werenski 4+ Shots on Goal (+154 at FanDuel)
The Blue Jackets’ star defenseman is a shot-generating machine, averaging 3.71 per game on the season. He’s cleared this line in three straight matchups against the Caps, including a 6-shot effort in their last meeting at Nationwide. At +154 odds money, there’s excellent value on the Over.

Capitals vs Blue Jackets Odds

Odds via Caesars as of April 12th at 12:22 pm ET.

The Over set at 6.5, an indicator of how oddsmakers envision this one playing out. You can find an excellent -105 price at Caesars, which is the best number I’ve seen across major NHL betting sites.

For player props, DraftKings offers McMichael to score at anytime at +280, while FanDuel gives you juicy +154 odds for Werenski 4+ shots. I love the value on both, as they correlate well with our prediction of a high-event hockey game.

Puck drops at 12:30 pm ET on ABC. Enjoy what should be a wildly entertaining Metropolitan Division showdown between the Capitals and the desperate Blue Jackets battling for their playoff lives. Thanks for reading and good luck with your picks!