GAME 4 PREVIEW: Jackets, Capitals ready for more OT if necessary

EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND, GAME 4:
CAPITALS (1-2) AT BLUE JACKETS (2-1)
Location: Nationwide Arena, 7:30 p.m., Thursday
Local TV: Fox Sports Ohio/Fox Sports Go (Jeff Rimer, Jody Shelley);
National TV: USA (Ken Daniels, Darren Pang); Sportsnet, TVA (Canada)
Radio: 97.1 FM & BlueJackets.com (Bob McElligott)
So, it's going to be one of those, huh?
The answer to that is undoubtedly, "yes," it is, with "it" being this Eastern Conference First Round series between the Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals and the way things have begun, with three straight games needing more than 60 minutes to decide.
This is only the 18th time in NHL history a series has featured three straight overtime games at any point and just the sixth time it's happened to begin a series. There's no reason to doubt whether Game 4 might go past three periods, either, because there's a decent chance it will.
Even the losing sides have acknowledged how close these games have been, including the Blue Jackets, who dropped their first game in the series to the Capitals, 3-2, in double overtime of Game 3 on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena.
"It's fantastic," Columbus coach John Tortorella said of the series, which his team lead leads 2-1 after two OT wins in Washington, D.C. "[Tuesday night's] game was a great hockey game. As I said when we were on the other end of it out in Washington, to be involved in that, in the high-stake games, it's just a whole different level versus regular season. This is just different, playoff hockey, now three games going to overtime and one being doubled. It's a great series."

VISIT THE BLUE JACKETS STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB
It will continue with Game 4, which is unlikely to have many - if any - lineup changes.
Washington will be without Andre Burakovsky again, the usual left wing on the second line, because of an upper-body injury that prevented him from traveling to Columbus. The Blue Jackets will be without center Alex Wennberg, who will miss his third straight game with an upper-body injury that occurred on a penalized hit by Capitals forward Tom Wilson early in the third period of Game 1 at Capital One Center.
The same goalies will get back between the pipes too.
Braden Holtby will make his second start for Washington in the series, after making 33 saves in a strong performance to earn the win Tuesday. Sergei Bobrovsky will start for Columbus, after going 2-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average (GAA) and .925 save percentage in the first three games, making 123 saves on 133 shots.
Bobrovsky entered the postseason coming off a 3.88 GAA last season in a five-game, first-round loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins and a career GAA higher than 3.00 in the playoffs.
"He is taking all the [playoff] games that he's played, some good ones, some ugly ones, and used it as a process to get better," Tortorella said. "I think you're seeing a more mature 'Bob.' I think you're seeing a more relaxed 'Bob.' I think he feels comfortable in these situations right now and that's just through a little better experience with the ups and downs, and the ebbs and flows and momentums of playoffs."
SERIES RECAP
GAME 1
Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 3 (OT): The Capitals took a 2-0 lead on power-play goals scored late in the first period by Evgeny Kuznetsov, who made the Blue Jackets pay a heavy price for Josh Anderson's heavy hit on defenseman Michal Kempny. Anderson was assessed a boarding major and game misconduct, which led to Kuznetsov's goals. Columbus clawed back on goals by Wennberg and veteran Thomas Vanek, before Wennberg was injured in the third by Wilson. Devante Smith-Pelly and Seth Jones traded goals past the midway point of the third, making it 3-3, and Artemi Panarin won it 6:03 into overtime.

GAME 2
Blue Jackets 5, Capitals 4 (OT): Washington built a 2-0 lead in the first period for the second straight game, including Alexander Ovechkin's first in the series, but the Capitals allowed a breakaway goal by Cam Atkinson in the final stages of the period to cut their lead in half. Ovechkin's second power-play of the game started the scoring in the second, pushing Washington's lead to 3-1, but Columbus scored the next three goals, by Anderson, Atkinson and Zach Werenski for a 4-3 lead starting the third. The Caps outshot the Jackets 21-5 in the third, aided by four of the Jackets' eight penalties, and tied it late on a power-play goal by T.J. Oshie. Once again, the Jackets prevailed in overtime, getting a goal from Matt Calvert to end it. Bobrovsky made a franchise-record 54 saves.

GAME 3
Capitals 3, Blue Jackets 2 (2-OT):Ovechkin told reporters after the morning skate the series would go back to Washington for Game 5 on Saturday tied 2-2. The Jackets came inches from ruining his proclamation, hitting the post four times, but the Capitals won nine minutes into the second overtime off a fortunate bounce that followed Bobrovsky's 42nd save. The puck hit Lars Eller's left skate and bounced into the net, silencing a record crowd of 19,337 inside Nationwide Arena, the largest to ever watch a Blue Jackets game there. Panarin and rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois scored goals in regulation for Columbus, while Wilson and John Carlson scored goals in regulation for the Capitals - who started Holtby (33 saves) over Philipp Grubauer.

WHO'S HOT
Capitals: Carlson's goal was his seventh point in the series (one goal, six assists). He assisted on six of Washington's seven goals to start the series, three in each of the first two games, and then scored in Game 3.
Blue Jackets: Panarin had another multi-point game Tuesday with a goal, assist and two more points, which was his third straight multi-point effort of the postseason and eighth straight game with multiple points, including the regular season.
SERIES ANALYTICS
Columbus
Washington
SPECIAL TEAMS
POWER PLAY
Columbus
Washington
PENALTY KILL
Columbus
Washington

SCOUTING REPORT
EYES ON: THE CAPITALS
EYES ON: THE BLUE JACKETS

PROJECTED LINEUPS
CAPITALS
Forwards
Alex Ovechkin - Evgeny Kuznetsov- Tom Wilson
Chandler Stephenson - Nicklas Backstrom - T.J. Oshie
Brett Connolly - Lars Eller - Devante Smith-Pelly
Jakub Vrana - Jay Beagle - Alex Chiasson
Defensemen
Michal Kempny - John Carlson
Dmitri Orlov - Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik - Christian Djoos
Goaltenders
Braden Holtby
Philipp Grubauer
Scratched: Madison Bowey, Andre Burakovsky (upper body), Jakub Jerabek, Shane Gersich, Brian Pinho, Travis Boyd, Pheonix Copley
BLUE JACKETS
Forwards
Artemi Panarin - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cam Atkinson
Boone Jenner - Nick Foligno - Thomas Vanek
Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Josh Anderson
Sonny Milano - Mark Letestu - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Defensemen
Zach Werenski - Seth Jones
Ian Cole - David Savard
Ryan Murray - Markus Nutivaara
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Joonas Korpisalo
Others: Markus Hannikainen, Alexander Wennberg (upper body), Alex Broadhurst, Taylor Chorney, Jack Johnson, Scott Harrington, Dean Kukan, Lukas Sedlak (upper body)