Columbus At Washington Free Pick, Odds & TV Info

Over the past few years, it has been the Central Division in the NHL that has been arguably the strongest. It’s fair to say that we have seen a shift in the balance of divisional power this season, as the Metropolitan Division is the one that has been far and away the most impressive. After all we currently have no less than 3 teams from that division sitting on at least 100 points, and we get to see two of that group go head to head on Thursday night when the Columbus Blue Jackets go on the road to face the Washington Capitals. It is the Capitals who are leading the way with 102 points, which just happens to be the best in the NHL right now, but the Blue Jackets are close on their heels, sitting at 100 points. The defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins are wedged in between, which means we are going to have a furious finish that will likely see one of these three teams scoop up the President’s Trophy for the best regular season record. Find the latest NHL betting point spreads here.

Analyzing The Blue Jackets At Capitals Free Pick, Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, March 23 at 7 PM EST Where: Verizon Center, Washington TV: FSOH and CSNB Radio: 97.1 The Fan and FNR Live Stream: NHL.TV NHL Odds: TBA    

Why bet on the Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets (47-18-6) have been a fantastic story this season after undergoing a year of disappointment last season. They were considered a dark horse pick last year, but stumbled badly out of the gate, losing their first 7 games and quickly making a coaching change. They spent the rest of the season trying to play catch-up, which proved to be an impossible task. It has been a huge turnaround for them this year, and all the streaks that they are hitting are winning ones. They are on a 4-game streak right now, and could take it to 5 with a win over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday night. This team is incredibly good on the road, going 21-9-5 to this point.

Why bet on the Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals (47-17-8) were able to maintain their place atop the Metropolitan Division with an impressive 4-2 win over the red-hot Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. That improved their record in the last 10 games to 5-4-1, but perhaps more importantly, it took them to 29-6-2 on home ice this season. The Capitals now control their own destiny in winning the President’s Trophy, but you need to question whether they really want to. Since 2003, only 2 teams have put together the best record in the league and gone on to win the Stanley Cup. The Capitals has the best record last year and were bounced by the Penguins in the second round.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

These two teams have evenly split their last 6 meetings, so this is not an easy call to make. I think the Capitals have the slight edge at home, and also have the benefit of facing a Columbus team paying their second game in consecutive nights.

Columbus Blue Jackets 2 Washington Capitals 5