Two teams that have put themselves squarely in the playoff hunt, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets meet at Nationwide Arena. NBC Sports Network will air this Eastern Conference matchup, which gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, February 10.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
With a -115 moneyline, Columbus comes into the contest as the slight favorite. The line for Tampa Bay sits at -105, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. If you want to play this matchup’s total, you’ll be looking at odds of -115 for the over and -105 for the under at NJ PointsBet Sportsbook.
Tampa Bay is 35-20 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 55 regular season matches, 28 of its games have gone over the total, while 24 have gone under and just three have pushed. This 2019-20 Lightning team is 17-11 SU on the road.
Tampa Bay has converted on 24.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it has successfully killed off 84.0 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Tampa Bay has been whistled for penalties 3.9 times per game in the 2019-20 season, and 2.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 6.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.9 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (29-12-3) has been the top option in goal for Tampa Bay this year. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, the team may turn to Curtis McElhinney (6-8-2), who has a .909 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average this year.
Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Lightning. Kucherov has 67 points on 25 goals and 42 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 20 different games. Stamkos has 26 goals and 33 assists to his credit, and has logged a point in 36 games.
Over on the other bench, Columbus is 30-26 straight up (SU) and has netted 7.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 36 of its games have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 18-12 SU as the home team this season.
Columbus has converted on just 16.9 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked seventh overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Blue Jackets have been penalized only 3.1 times per game this season, and 1.8 per game over their last five games. The team’s had to kill penalties just 5.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Joonas Korpisalo (25.7 saves per game) has been the primary selection in the crease for Columbus. Korpisalo has 17 wins, 15 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a 2.49 goals against average and a .913 save percentage this year.
Pierre-Luc Dubois (17 goals, 25 assists) will lead the attack for the Blue Jackets.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
The total has gone under in four of Columbus’ last five games.
Tampa Bay has managed 26.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Columbus is averaging 36.2 shots per game over its last five at home.
The Lightning are 13-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 23-11 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Tampa Bay is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Columbus is 0-2 in shootouts.
Columbus has forced 5.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 6.5 takeaways per game (ranked 25th in the NHL).
Tampa Bay has allowed 2.7 goals per game overall this season, but has given up only 1.7 per match up over their six-game winning streak.
Tampa Bay has averaged 5.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 7.0 takeaways per game (ranked 18th in the NHL).
