Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals Prediction: Don’t expect a high-productive match

Prediction for the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals match, which will take place on February 1. Check the team conditions and choose several betting options.

For Columbus, the current regular season could be better. It is possible to say that the Jackets are not in any cup battles, and they are well aware of that. Despite the excellent staff reinforcements in the offseason, the club continues to be among the outsiders in the league, showing abysmal results. The team suffered six defeats in the last eight meetings, beating only San Jose and Edmonton - 5:3 and 3:2, respectively. The night before, they failed to defeat Seattle as well - 1:3, leaving them in last place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Washington still needs help with securing a place in the playoffs. The team has had an uneven regular season, alternating between good stretches and glaring failures. The Capitals are clearly not in great shape, and in the last nine meetings, we have seen only three wins in their performance, and they only beat the Islanders and Pittsburgh outside of regular time - 4:3 and 3:2, respectively. The day before, Washington suffered a devastating 1:5 loss to Toronto, which left them in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.

In the current regular championship, Columbus and Washington are opponents of different levels, so they solve very different problems. The Jackets are the hopeless underdogs of the Eastern Conference, for whom every point they score is a celebration. The Capitals have bigger ambitions. They're still fighting for a playoff spot, so a late lead against a lowly opponent is outside their plans. Moreover, head-to-head statistics also favor Peter Laviolette's squad, who have won their last three meetings in a row. As a result, we have to bet on Washington's victory.

Last season, Columbus also showed very modest results but remembered the bright and spectacular hockey. Back then, the Jackets were not afraid of anyone, playing openly against opponents of comparable class and the league's top clubs. They're not having as much fun in the regular season, so we shouldn't expect them to play head-to-head now. It's unlikely that Washington will insist on an open exchange of goals; picking up two points is more important for them. We expect a total under 5.5 pucks, and we should also bet on Alexander Ovechkin's goal.