Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 4/12/2025 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington Capitals vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Saturday, April 12, 2025

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: NBC4 WCMH-TV

Odds/Point Spread: Capitals (-275) Blue Jackets (+220)

The Columbus Blue Jackets (35-33-9) welcome the Washington Capitals (49-19-9) at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. The moneyline on this game has Washington at -275 while Columbus is at +220. The total is set at 6.5.

The Washington Capitals will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 4-1 loss against the Islanders their last time out. Washington accumulated 4 penalty mins in this contest. They also had 2 power play opportunities and were able to notch 1 goal. The Capitals offense left a lot to be desired in the loss. In the game, they scored on 1 of the 29 shots they tried.

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At even strength, the Capitals let the opposition score 166 goals while notching 228 on the offensive side of the ice. Washington Capitals opponents have earned 227 power play tries (10th in professional hockey) and have notched 42 goals in those attempts. In terms of their scoring capabilities, the Washington Capitals have earned 276 goals (2nd in pro hockey) this year and have given up 208. Washington has tried 2,128 shots and holds a shot percentage of 13.0%. For the current campaign, they sit with 107 points and their points percentage is .695. The Capitals have had 2,075 shots tried against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .900. Washington has accumulated 208 power play chances and they have notched 48 goals out of those tries, garnering them a rate of 23.08%.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Charlie Lindgren. For his professional hockey career, Lindgren has earned 76 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .555. His save percentage currently sits at .905 during his 6,232 minutes played. Lindgren has had 4,068 shot attempts against him and he has 3,683 total saves. The opposition has scored 385 goals against Lindgren in his career and his goals against average per game is 3.71. He has an overall mark of 71-52-15 and he has started in 137 games. Lindgren has participated in 146 games throughout his hockey career.

In their last game, Columbus played the Senators in an outing where the Blue Jackets ended up with the victory by a tally of 5-2. They had 2 power play chances in this outing and tallied 1 out of those chances. The Blue Jackets converted 5 goals out of the 35 shots on goal they were seeking.

The Blue Jackets have scored 210 goals at even strength and 34 goals (27th in hockey) while on the power play. Columbus has put up 2,243 shots (9th in pro hockey) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 10.88%, while allowing their opponents 2,293 shots. On the year, the Columbus Blue Jackets have accounted for 244 goals, 79 points, and a points percentage of .513. They have allowed 263 goals to be scored by way of 213 goals at even strength and 50 goals while they had less men on the ice. They have a total of 177 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 19.21%. They have earned a penalty kill percentage of 75.96% on their opponents 208 power play chances, and their save percentage sits at 88.5%.

For the opposition you will find Elvis Merzlikins protecting the net. Merzlikins has earned a lifetime record of 94-100-35 and has been in net for 244 games. Merzlikins' quality start rate is 47.6% and he has 109 quality starts in his career. He has gathered 6,650 saves out of the 7,376 shots taken against him, giving him a save % of .902. The opposition is averaging 4.12 goals per contest and he has relinquished 726 goals altogether. He has started in 229 contests and his ice time sits at 10,582 mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Washington (-275)

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