The Washington Capitals visit the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight at Nationwide Arena for the second of four meetings between the teams this season. Washington enters tonight's contest in first place in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference and on a franchise record nine game road winning streak.
It's no secret the Capitals have taken the hockey world by storm and Sean Allen of ESPN.com Fantasy Hockey recognized that:
"Alex who? I kid, I kid. But this unit has been killing it with Alex Ovechkin sidelined and it will be a tough decision to demote (Jakob) Chychrun from the top unit when Ovie returns. "Sean Allen of ESPN.com
Allen notes that the unit consisting of Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome, Connor McMichael, and Jakob Chychrun skated for 24:30 in the past 10 games played and put up 31 shots at rate of 2.53 per two minutes. Their short handed attempts are at 56 or 4.57 percent through two minutes while connecting for five goals.
Jason Chen of The Hockey News also mentioned that defenseman Matt Roy is a good pick up:
"Like (Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alex) Vlasic, (Matt) Roy's been really under appreciated in multi category leagues. He provides shots, hits and blocks, and while he's not dominant in any category, it's rare for him to not pinch in at all. He's also scored two assists in his past two games, giving him seven points in 17 games - close to a 35 point pace over an entire season. Not bad for someone who doesn't see the ice on the power play. "Jason Chen of The Hockey News
In the first game between the Capitals and Blue Jackets on Nov. 2 at Capital One Arena, the Caps scored five first period goals en route to a 7-2 win. Washington is 35-13-1-6 all time against Columbus and 10-1-1 in their last 12 games against the Blue Jackeets dating back to the 2021-22 season. The Caps have won five straight games at Nationwide Arena with the last loss coming on Dec. 16, 2019.
The Capitals last played on Dec. 7 when they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 at Bell Centre. With the win, Washington extended their franchise road winning streak to nine games (9-0-0) and their point streak to seven games with a 6-0-1 record.
Puck drop is tonight at 7 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network and you can also hear the game on 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7.