Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets October 14 Betting Preview

The three-time Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning travel to Columbus and serve as the opponents for the Columbus Blue Jackets home opener. The Lightning and Blue Jackets are coming off losses to the likely top two teams in the Metropolitan division, the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes.

We'll break down these losses and give you a betting preview for the Lightning vs. Blue Jackets on Friday night, where the Blue Jackets are the moneyline underdog with odds of (+145) to come out on top. 

Puck drop for the Lightning vs. Blue Jackets is scheduled for 7:00 p.m on Friday, October 14th, from Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Preview

The Tampa Bay Lightning have started the 2022-23 season on a losing note, losing to the New York Rangers 3-1. The Lightning are still the league-dominating Tampa Bay Lightning of the last few years and will still be among the Stanley Cup contenders in the Eastern Conference when the spring arrives.

One thing about the Lightning we do know that has been constant through their run of dominance: don't give their power play many chances, or the Lightning will strike and burn you.

The Lightning's lone goal against the Rangers is a story you've likely heard before: a Stamkos goal, with assists from Kucherov and Point. However, if you are the New York Rangers, you can take six penalties and only get burned once by the Lightning. The Blue Jackets will need to stay out of the penalty box to have a chance against the Lighting.

With the Lightning playing on back-to-back nights and playing Pittsburgh on Saturday night, we expect Brian Elliot to get the start in Columbus over Andrei Vasilevskiy. We don't have any stats on Elliot in 2022-23 yet.

However, in 2021-22, Elliot played 19 games, posting an 11-4-3 record, with a 2.43 GAA. In the season opener against the Rangers, Vasilevskiy made 36 saves (.923 save percentage) in the Lightning's 3-1 loss.

Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets lost their first game of the year 4-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, the Blue Jackets lost more than a game on Wednesday when Patrik Laine was lost to injury. Many of the Blue Jackets' hopes for the 2022-23 NHL season were connected to the potential of a Johnny Gaudreau and Laine duo.

Laine is now listed on the injured reserve list, and the Blue Jackets will have a more difficult time scoring. Injuries create opportunities; now is the time for someone in the lineup to step up offensively.

Injuries in goal are an issue for Columbus as well. Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins are both on the injured reserve list, leaving Daniil Tarasov as the like starter for the Blue Jackets' home opener. Tarasov played against the Hurricanes making 39 saves (a .907 save percentage) in the loss.

Lightning vs. Blue Jackets Odds

According to betJACK, the Lighting are the favorites to win this game, sitting at (-179). The Blue Jackets are the moneyline betting underdog, with odds of (+145).

The puck line spread is set to one. The Blue Jackets (+1) are the betting favorite to cover the spread, with odds of (+143), while the Hurricanes (-1) are the betting underdog, with odds of (+118).

You can find the total goals for the Lightning vs. Blue Jackets listed at six, with the over listed with odds of (-109), while the under is listed with odds of (-112).

Our Prediction: It's looking like a difficult 2022-23 for the Blue Jackets, and the Lightning are still the Lightning. We are leaning toward the Lightning winning and covering the spread in this matchup, regardless of the betting lines.