Tonight the Washington Capitals take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in their final home game at Capital One Arena before the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. and you can catch the game on Monumental Sports Network as well as 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7.
Tonight's betting odds per Caesars have the Capitals as 1.5 favorites on home ice with -165 moneyline odds. The Blue Jackets are the underdog at +140. Tonight's over/under is set at 6.5 goals.
#3 Alex Ovechkin
After not playing in yesterday's game, it is likely you'll see Alex Ovechkin back in the lineup tonight. On April 6 against the New York Islanders, Ovechkin scored his 895th career goal to pass Wayne Gretzky for the most goals in NHL history. Ovechkin broke Gretzky's 31 year old record in his 1,487th career game, the exact number of games Gretzky played in his career.
On April 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks, Ovechkin scored his 893rd and 894th career goals to tie Gretzky for the goals record. Ovechkin reached the 40 goal mark for the 14th time in 20 seasons which extended his NHL record. His second goal against Chicago was also his 136th career game winning goal which moved him past Jaromir Jagr for the most game winning goals in NHL history.
#2 Tom Wilson
Tom Wilson scored his 33rd goal of the season in Washington's 5-4 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. HIs 33 goals are a career high and rank second on Washington trailing only Ovechkin.
Wilson's 33 goals are the most by a Capital other than Ovechkin since T.J. Oshie scored 33 goals in 2016-17. Wilson has recorded a career high 63 pints in 78 games this season as he also has 30 assists in addition to his 33 goals.
Wilson's 0.81 points per game rate this season is the highest of his career. Wilson is the only player in the NHL with more than 30 goals and over 200 plus hits. He has tallied 28 points in his last 28 games with 13 goals and 15 assits.
#1 Charlie Lindgren
After Hunter Shepard got the start in goal and with Logan Thompson still out, expect Charlie Lindgren to take the net tonight. On April 10 he stopped 30 of 34 shots faced in regulation and overtime as well as all three Carolina shootout attempts to earn his 19th win of the season.
Lindgren has appeared in five of Washington's last six games, posting a 3-1-0 record. He has won eight of his last 12 starts. He was re-signed to a three year, $9 million contract extension back on March 3. The 31 year old has a record of 19-13-3 with a 2.74 goals against average, an .896 save percentage and one shutout in 37 games this season.