Game Sixty-one: Columbus Blue Jackets (30-22-8) at Tampa Bay Lightning (35-21-4)
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa
TV/Stream/Radio: FDSNSUN, FDSNOH, ESPN+, 102.5 FM, Lightning App
Odds: Lightning -166
Know the Opponents: The Cannon
The Lightning are right back at it after their 2-1 loss to the Panthers last night. They return home to Amalie Arena to face a rested Columbus Blue Jackets team that hasn’t played since their win against the Detroit Red Wings under the bright lights of Ohio Stadium on Saturday. Not only did they pick up a key win against a team they’re battling for a playoff spot, but they also notched their fourth win in a row.
Columbus is also welcoming back Yegor Chinakov, who has missed more than half of the season with back issues. When he’s been healthy, the 23-year-old has produced with 70 points (34 goals, 36 assists) in 166 games. He’ll help a team that hasn’t struggled to score goals as Columbus ranks 5th in offense with 3.35 goals per game with 2.86 coming at 5v5. The Lightning have born witness to their dynamic attack as the Blue Jackets have scored 10 times in their two meetings, with 7 coming the bonkers 7-6 come-from-behind overtime win back in November.
Tampa Bay held on to beat them in their second match-up, 5-3, but Columbus made it close with three third-period goals after the Bolts had built a 4-0 lead. The offense is there, but they do struggle with keeping the puck out of their own net. They’ve been better of late, but they still rank towards the bottom of the league in goals allowed (3.21), scoring chances allowed (29.21), and high-danger chances (12.59) while killing off 75.3% of their penalties against.
Expect Jonas Johansson to return to the net tonight for the Bolts. The back-up has been out with a lower-body injury since the end of January. We’ll have to wait for the warm-ups to see if Coach Cooper is making any other changes.
Potential Lines
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forwards:
| Jake Guentzel | Brayden Point | Nikita Kucherov |
| Brandon Hagel | Anthony Cirelli | Nick Paul |
| Mitchell Chaffee | Zemgus Girgensons | Gage Goncalves |
| Mikey Eyssimont | Luke Glendening |
Defense:
| Victor Hedman | J.J. Moser |
| Ryan McDonagh | Erik Cernak |
| Emil Lilleberg | Darren Raddysh |
| Nick Perbix |
Goaltenders:
| Jonas Johansson |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy |
Blue Jackets
Forwards:
| Dmitri Voronkov | Adam Fantilli | Kirill Marchenko |
| Yegor Chinakov | Boone Jenner | Kent Johnson |
| Zach Ashton-Reese | Justin Danforth | Mathieu Olivier |
| James van Riemsdyk | Sean Kuraly | Joseph LaBate |
Defense:
| Zach Werenski | Dante Fabbro |
| Denton Mateychuk | Ivan Provorov |
| Jake Christiansen | Damon Severson |
Goaltenders:
| Elvis Merzlikins |
| Daniil Tarasov |
