The Tampa Bay Lightning take their 11-4-2 record into Nationwide Arena on Thursday to face a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has lost its last two games. Puck drop for the Lightning vs Blue Jackets matchup is set for 7 p.m. ET, with Tampa Bay sitting third in the Atlantic Division and Columbus last in the Metropolitan at 7-9-0.
Tampa Bay has won three of its last five games, while Columbus has dropped three of its last five, including a 4-1 home loss to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. The Lightning enter with 24 points through 17 games, four points back of Atlantic-leading Boston, while the Blue Jackets sit at 14 points and have yet to record an overtime loss this season.
Lightning Vs Blue Jackets Game Information
- Date: Thursday, Nov. 12
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, The Spot – MTN, CBJNHL, WWHO
- Series: First meeting of the season between the two clubs
By The Numbers
- Goals: Lightning 63, Blue Jackets 39
- Points (team total): Lightning 163, Blue Jackets 112
- Shots on goal: Lightning 508, Blue Jackets 425
- Shooting percentage: Lightning 12.4%, Blue Jackets 9.2%
- Goals against average: Lightning 3.06, Blue Jackets 3.19
- Save percentage: Lightning .882, Blue Jackets .895
- Power-play goals: Lightning 12, Blue Jackets 7
- Faceoff percentage: Blue Jackets 53.7%, Lightning 49.2%
- Penalty minutes: Lightning 140, Blue Jackets 140
The gap in goals scored, 63 to 39, stands out as the clearest statistical separation between these two teams. Tampa Bay’s 12.4% shooting percentage also tops Columbus by more than three points, a difference that has shown up in the standings.
Tampa Bay Lightning Outlook
Tampa Bay has alternated wins and losses over its last five outings, beating Detroit 4-2 and Chicago 4-1 before an overtime win in Minnesota and a loss in Winnipeg. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 22 points, including a league-high 17 assists on the roster, while Jake Guentzel paces the team with 10 goals.
Center Brayden Point remains on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury and is not expected back until Dec. 2. Dennis Hildeby is projected as the probable starting goalie for Tampa Bay, which has allowed 52 goals this season against a .882 team save percentage. The Lightning’s 508 shots on goal, the highest total in this matchup, reflect an offense that has generated scoring chances at a high rate through 17 games.
Columbus Blue Jackets Outlook
Columbus enters off a 4-1 loss to Florida on Wednesday, part of a stretch in which the Blue Jackets have lost three of their last five. The lone bright spot in that stretch was a 7-2 rout of Colorado on Nov. 4 and a 2-1 shootout win over Dallas two days later. Kent Johnson leads Columbus in both goals (8) and points (16), while Zach Werenski paces the team with 12 assists.
Jet Greaves is projected as the probable starting goalie for Columbus. The Blue Jackets have been outscored 51-39 on the season but hold a slightly better team save percentage than Tampa Bay at .895, and their 53.7% faceoff rate is the top statistical edge they carry into Thursday’s game.
Key Matchup
Tampa Bay’s top-six scoring punch against Columbus’s goaltending will decide much of this game. Kucherov and Guentzel have combined to drive an offense that has produced 63 goals in 17 games, and they will see a Blue Jackets defense that has allowed 51 goals and owns a .895 save percentage behind Greaves. Columbus also holds a faceoff edge at 53.7% to Tampa Bay’s 49.2%, which could help the Blue Jackets limit offensive-zone time for the Lightning’s top line if that possession advantage carries into puck battles after whistles.
Nikita Kucherov, Lightning
Kucherov leads the team with 22 points and a league-high 17 assists, operating as the engine of Tampa Bay’s offense through the first 17 games.
Kent Johnson, Blue Jackets
Johnson leads Columbus in both goals (8) and points (16) and will be the player Tampa Bay’s defense is tasked with containing.
What To Watch
Tampa Bay sits four points behind Boston for first place in the Atlantic Division, making every game part of a tight early-season race that also includes Montreal, Ottawa and Florida, all bunched within a few points of each other. Columbus, by contrast, is working to climb out of last place in the Metropolitan Division, where it trails seventh-place Pittsburgh by the slimmest of margins on points.
Background on Tampa Bay’s biggest offseason storyline is available in the report on Kucherov’s trade request.
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