Who is favoured, Washington Capitals or Columbus Blue Jackets?

Columbus Blue Jackets, at 53.5% in PuckCast's preseason forecast. That is a rating-based forecast; the full model read, with goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of puck drop.

What is a preseason forecast?

A win probability from each team's regressed preseason rating and home ice, the same ratings behind the 2026-27 projected standings. Those ratings are calibrated at the season level, for standings and playoff odds; this single-game percentage is a plain rating formula and has not been graded on its own yet. It is deliberately unsure about any single game, and the confidence grade says how far it leans.

When does the real prediction publish?

Inside the seven-day window before the game. The model re-scores it on every refresh until puck drop, with the confirmed starting goalies, and this page shows that read instead of the forecast.

Washington Capitals at Columbus Blue Jackets, Tue, Apr 6: prediction and odds forecast

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2026-27 forecast · Tue, Apr 6, 7:45 PM ET

Washington CapitalsWSH

98 proj. pts · 51.2% playoffs

Logan Thompson · 0.912 SV%

Cvs7:45 PM ET

Columbus Blue JacketsCBJ

A preseason forecast from each team's regressed rating and home ice, the ratings behind the projected standings. The full model read, with the starting goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of the game and replaces this page’s numbers. How the model works

The read

Preseason ratings · last season’s record

CBJ controlled play at 5v5 last season, 51.9% of the expected goals to 49.9%; CBJ's power play ran at 18.9% against a WSH kill at 80.1%.

In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Logan Thompson (WSH) saved 2.8 goals above expected to Elvis Merzlikins's -21.9, on save percentages of 0.912 and 0.883.

None of that is the model read. This is a rating-and-home-ice forecast; the full prediction — confirmed goalies, rest and form, priced against the market — publishes inside the seven days before puck drop and replaces these numbers. Columbus Blue Jackets over Washington Capitals is where it starts, not where it ends.

In goal

goalie board

No starter is named this far out. These are each side’s projected starters on the current roster, with last season’s numbers.

WSH

Logan Thompson

SV%: 0.912
GSAx: +2.8
GAA: 2.44
Record: 31-21-6

58 games, 2025-26

CBJ

Elvis Merzlikins

SV%: 0.883
GSAx: -21.9
GAA: 3.40
Record: 14-11-3

30 games, 2025-26

WSH	Metric	CBJ
49.9%	xGF% (5v5)	51.9%
49.9%	Shot share	50.5%
3.2	Goals for / game	3.0
2.9	Goals against / game	3.1
17.8%	Power play	18.9%
80.1%	Penalty kill	76.0%
49.3%	Faceoffs	50.6%

Who drives it

2026-27 projected points

Washington Capitals

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts
Alex Ovechkin	L	34	29	63
Dylan Strome	C	21	39	60
Alex Tuch	R	26	30	57
Jordan Kyrou	R	25	32	56

Columbus Blue Jackets

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts
Zach Werenski	D	18	49	67

Last season, head to head

ledger

Date	Game	Pick	Score	Result
2026-04-14	WSH @ CBJ	CBJ	WSH 2–1 CBJ	Missed
2025-12-07	CBJ @ WSH	WSH	CBJ 0–2 WSH	Correct
2025-11-24	CBJ @ WSH	WSH	CBJ 1–5 WSH	Correct
2025-10-24	WSH @ CBJ	WSH	WSH 5–1 CBJ	Correct

Season outlook

projected standings

Team	Proj. points	Playoff odds
Washington Capitals	98	51.2%
Columbus Blue Jackets	96	47.6%