Blue Jackets at Lightning Preview

The Blue Jackets are still in Tampa Bay, and they will be facing the Lightning for a second straight game on Thursday night. Columbus picked up a 3-1 win over the Lightning on Tuesday night, and they are now looking to repeat that performance.

Columbus comes into this game with 36 points on the season, good enough for sixth place in the Central Division. The Blue Jackets are running out of time to make a playoff run, but winning a second game in Tampa Bay could provide some momentum.

Tampa Bay leads the Central Division with 50 points, but they now have some company at the top of the standings. The Lightning are currently suffering through a three-game losing streak, but this team will figure things out again before long.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are heavy underdogs in this matchup with the Tampa Bay Lighting.

Blue Jackets Must Control Pace

If the Columbus Blue Jackets are going to win a second straight game over the Lightning, then they must control the pace once again. Columbus is scoring just 2.49 goals per game, and they don’t have the weapons to win a high-scoring affair.

David Savard got into the scoring sheet on Tuesday night with a goal, and it was a long time coming. The Blue Jackets continue to look for more offense outside of Oliver Bjorkstrand, who leads the team with 13 goals and 17 assists.

Elvis Merzlikins stopped 37 of 38 shots on Tuesday night against Tampa Bay, and he could very well be back in the net on Thursday. Columbus is allowing more than 3.1 goals per game this season, but they have shown the ability to slow down opponents at times.

Lightning Lacking Offense

You won’t hear many people say that the Lightning are lacking offense, but that has been the case during this most recent losing streak. Tampa Bay managed just one goal on Tuesday against Columbus, and they just weren’t able to get anything going on that end of the ice.

Defenseman Victor Hedman leads the team with 27 assists and 33 points, and he is the best in the NFL at this position. Steven Stamkos leads Tampa Bay with 16 goals on the year, and this Lightning offense will not stay down for long.

Tampa Bay is holding opponents to just 2.4 goals per game, and scoring goals against them won’t be easy for the Blue Jackets.

Another Upset Ahead?

The Columbus Blue Jackets looked like the better hockey team on Tuesday, and they were able to completely shut down the Lightning. It’s hard to picture that same thing happening two days in a row, but Columbus does have the formula to get it done.

The Blue Jackets are not going to win this game by outscoring the Lightning, but they can slow this one down and strike at just the right times. Tampa Bay is not playing their best hockey at the moment, and Columbus could pick up another win.

The Blue Jackets need to get out of town before Tampa Bay is able to figure things out once again, but it would be nice to pick up two more points before heading out.