Capitals vs Blue Jackets

With Washington on a three-game heater and Columbus having dropped eight of its last 12, the recent form arrow points squarely at the Capitals despite this being the Jackets’ home finale. The Caps’ injury list is relatively light — Lindgren and Sandin are banged up, but Logan Thompson has carried the load all season and the blue line remains deep enough to insulate him — while Columbus is down important pieces like Severson and Smith on an already leaky back end, which has contributed to its brutal third-period results. Add in Ovechkin’s long history of scoring in this matchup, Tom Wilson’s current scoring surge, and the fact that Columbus just had its playoff hopes mathematically crushed, and Washington’s slightly shorter number at -105 looks like the side with both the momentum and the more stable goaltending floor compared to Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins. Given the Caps’ recent surge, the Jackets’ emotional letdown, and the near pick’em pricing, backing Washington on the moneyline at -105 earns an A- grade for a strong combination of win probability and fair value. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 14/04/2026 09:28

Both teams’ recent trends lean toward a tighter scoreboard, making the Under 6 at 100 my preferred position in this spot. Columbus has gone cold offensively down the stretch, scoring more than two goals in only a handful of its last dozen games and showing a clear inability to finish chances even when driving play, while Washington’s three-game win streak has been built more on structure and goaltending than track-meet hockey. The injuries that matter here are on Columbus’ blue line and depth forwards — with Severson, Smith and Olivier either out or limited — which has forced them into lower-event, shorter-bench games, and on Washington’s side, any lingering limits on Lindgren simply reinforce that Thompson should handle most of the net duty, keeping the Caps’ defensive baseline intact. Ovechkin and Werenski can still put up numbers, and both teams are among the league leaders in scoring first, but with neither side playing for seeding anymore and the Jackets’ offense in a prolonged slump, this profiles more like a 3-2 type game than a freewheeling shootout; at an even 100 price, that’s enough for a B+ grade on the Under. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 14/04/2026 09:28

The puckline market is juiced on both sides, but given Washington’s tendency to play in tight, low-margin games and Columbus’ season-long habit of hanging around despite poor late-game results, taking the Blue Jackets at +1.5 goals for -200 is the lean, even if the value is muted. Recent streaks suggest a Caps edge — they’re hot while Columbus is reeling — but that slump has still featured a lot of one-goal decisions, and in their projected lineup the Jackets can still roll four centers (Fantilli, Coyle, Monahan, Jenner) plus an elite-minute horse in Werenski to keep matchups competitive at home. Washington’s ability to clamp down with Thompson and a deep defense led by Jakob Chychrun makes a full Caps blowout less likely than the moneyline gap implies, and Ovechkin’s scoring history versus Columbus actually supports the idea of a close Capitals win more than a rout. With both teams now only playing for pride and individual milestones in their 82nd game, a hard-fought one-goal result is a very live outcome, so Jackets +1.5 at -200 is playable but not exciting, earning a C+ grade because of the heavy juice relative to the edge. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 14/04/2026 09:28