Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals Picks and Predictions April 12th 2025

Blue Jackets Fight to Stay Alive vs. Presidents’ Trophy-Chasing Capitals

With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the Columbus Blue Jackets will host the high-powered Washington Capitals on Saturday night in the first of a home-and-home series with major implications on both ends of the NHL standings.

Columbus (36-33-9, 81 points) kept its postseason hopes barely alive with a 3-2 comeback win over Buffalo on Thursday. But the Blue Jackets could be eliminated before the puck even drops if the Montreal Canadiens beat Ottawa in regulation on Friday night. Even if they survive the math, the task ahead is monumental.

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“The spot we’re in, we need these points… We just stuck to it, try to win a shift and go on to the next,”

– Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner after Thursday’s win.

For the Capitals (50-19-9, 109 points), it’s about staying in the hunt for the Presidents’ Trophy. Washington trails Winnipeg by three points for the top overall seed but has a game in hand. The Caps are surging, fresh off a 5-4 shootout win over Carolina, showing grit after honoring Alex Ovechkin’s record-setting milestone.

“In the second period I think we played the way we have to play in the playoffs… Physical. Speed. Just controlling the neutral zone and the offensive zone,”

– Alex Ovechkin on Thursday’s strong middle frame.

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Ovechkin’s status for Saturday is uncertain, as he was expected to rest a game or two now that his chase of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record is complete. That could open the door slightly for Columbus, though Washington’s depth is firing on all cylinders.

Tom Wilson notched his 33rd goal, while Dylan Strome extended his point streak to six games with nine total points over that stretch. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored in regulation and buried the shootout winner against his former team.

Columbus will be without goaltender Elvis Merzlikins and defenseman Jake Christiansen, both ruled out for Saturday. In their place, emergency recall Jet Greaves was sensational on Thursday with 39 saves to preserve the win. He’s expected to start again against Washington.

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“We played well enough and hard enough here tonight to get two points… We need to continue to do that,”

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– Columbus coach Dean Evason on his team’s effort down the stretch.

The Capitals are playoff-ready, the Blue Jackets are playing for survival, and Saturday’s showdown is loaded with urgency from the opening faceoff.