The Columbus Blue Jackets (14-15-8) look to double up on the Tampa Bay Lightning (24-9-2) when the two meet for the second straight game on Thursday night.
Now, in sixth place in the Central standings, Columbus is 14 points behind division-leading Tampa Bay, but three behind Nashville for the fourth and final playoff berth.
Let’s find out if Columbus will pull off the upset as an NHL Line Odds road underdog or whether Tampa Bay is the pick to get it done at home in the Sunshine State.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning
When: Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
TV: BSSUN, BSOH
NHL Odds
Columbus +240
Tampa Bay -280
Total: 5½
Blue Jackets Look For Consecutive Wins
Columbus snapped its four-game losing streak by upsetting Tampa Bay 3-1 on Tuesday night. David Savard scored his first goal in two years to lead the way to victory while Elvis Merzlikins turned back 37 shots.
“The guys were rooting for me to get one soon. It was a good feeling and a big goal to go up 2-0,’’ Savard said.
Oliver Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson added goals for Columbus.
“We were better,’’ Columbus head coach John Tortorella said. “We’re working on a way to play that will get us into some sort of identity. I think we took a step in the right direction. Elvis made some big saves for us. I think we did a pretty good job around the net after shots were taken … we found a way to win a hockey game.”
Columbus is averaging 2.5 goals per game (27th) on 28.2 shots per game (26th). The Blue Jackets are allowing 3.1 goals per contest defensively (23rd) on 31.4 shots per night (24th).
Lightning Look to Snap Out of Doldrums
Tampa Bay has dropped three straight games. The Lightning got their lone goal against Columbus off the stick of Matthieu Joseph while Curtis McElhinney finished with 18 saves. Tampa Bay struggled to find its offense against Columbus.
“It probably could have went our way tonight, their goaltender played well,’’ Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. “I thought he saw most of the shots and stopped them when he had to, but certainly better than the last couple of games, that’s just the way it’s going right now.’’
In spite of their recent struggles, Tampa Bay ranks second in scoring (3.5 GPG) and 11t in shots attempted per game (30.3). Defensively, the Lightning limit the opposition to 2.4 goals per contest (5th) on 28.0 shots per game (7th).
Tampa Bay Gets Revenge
The Lightning might be struggling, but I’m backing the reigning Stanley Cup champions to avoid consecutive losses against Columbus on Thursday night.
Tampa Bay has gone an insane 37-15 in its last 52 home games and 21-9 over its last 30 games against teams from the Central Division. Columbus is 5-16 in their last 21 games following a win and 1-4 over its last five games overall.
With the road team in this rivalry going 5-2 in the last seven meetings and Tampa Bay likely being completely locked-in on avoiding consecutive upsets, the Lightning are the pick to win this one by at least two goals.
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