The Columbus Blue Jackets (12-25-2) head to face the Tampa Bay Lightning (24-13-1) at Amalie Arena on Tuesday. Columbus is coming off a 1-0 loss against the Capitals on Sunday, their ninth defeat in a row away from home.
Elvis Merzlikins had a terrific performance with 18 saves (.947%) in the loss. Tampa Bay fell 4-2 to the Jets on Friday. Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov each scored once for the Lightning. Cirelli added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Andrei Vasilevskiy saved only 16 of 19 shots against (.842%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Lightning have won both games between the teams this season, including a 4-1 victory in their most recent meeting in December. Brandon Hagel (2G 1A) and Kucherov (0G 3A) each had three points to lead Tampa Bay. Kirill Marchenko scored Columbus’ only goal. Brian Elliott got the win, saving 24 of 25 shots (.960%).
FACING OFF
Columbus is averaging 2.54 goals per game for the season, 30th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Lightning team that is allowing 2.92 goals a game (13th). Meanwhile, Tampa Bay has found the net 3.47 times a game on average, sixth in the league, and the Blue Jackets are allowing opponents to score 3.87 goals per game (30th).
The Blue Jackets’ 16.35% power play percentage is the fourth-lowest in the league, while the Lightning rank sixth with a conversion rate of 26.67%. When it comes to penalty killing, Tampa Bay has the league’s 11th-ranked PK% at 81.10%, while Columbus is 18th at 76.56%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 38 points this season, Johnny Gaudreau is the top skater for the Blue Jackets. He has 11 goals and 27 assists in 39 games. In the net, Joonas Korpisalo (6-7-1) is Columbus’ top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.10 GAA and a .913% save percentage.
Kucherov leads the Lightning in scoring with 55 points (5th in the league). He has 14 goals and 41 assists (2nd). Vasilevskiy (16-10-1) is the top goalie for Tampa Bay with a goals against average of 2.45. He has a save percentage of .919%.
HOME AND AWAY
Columbus is 2-13-1 on the road this season. Tampa Bay is pursuing an eighth consecutive home win this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
TB Lightning -2.5 (+115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
