Columbus Blue Jackets (9–4–0) at Tampa Bay Lightning (10–2–2)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2017, 7 p.m. (AMALIE ARENA)
The Blue Jackets got a hard lesson from the Tampa Bay Lightning a couple of weeks ago at Nationwide Arena. They weren't on their game from the start, and the Lightning were ready.
After a 2-0 loss in which the Blue Jackets got a high volume shots but lacked in quality, they felt partly frustrated but also that they could have done more. Tampa Bay is one of the league's top teams in the early going, but Columbus has had recent success against them; a year ago, the Blue Jackets were 3-0-0 against the Lightning and hammered them at Nationwide Arena on Nov. 29, a win that kicked off that memorable 16-game winning streak.
Tampa Bay plays an uptempo game that's laden with skill, and the Blue Jackets aren't too dissimilar. If they're to have success this time around, they can look to the tape from Thursday's win in Florida, which John Tortorella praised for how quick his team played in all three zones.
You Oughta Know: Andrei Vasilevskiy
The future is now for the Lightning between the pipes. Vasilevskiy, a first-round pick of the Bolts a few years ago, has assumed the No. 1 job after the club parted ways with former starting goaltender Ben Bishop. The move essentially paved the way for Vasilevskiy to become the new go-to guy, and Jon Cooper is having a hard time keeping him out of the net so far this season. When this guy's in the net, the Lightning are in great shape to get two points.
Fast Facts
- The Blue Jackets have won nine of their first 13 games for the first time in franchise history. Their 18 points in that span is also a new team record.
- Columbus out-scored Tampa Bay by a 13-5 margin in a three-game sweep of the season series in 2016-17.
- Andrei Vasilevskiy's OT loss to the Rangers last week ended a personal nine-game winning streak.
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: Tampa Bay won, 2-0, on Oct. 19 at Nationwide Arena
LAST YEAR: Blue Jackets won all three meetings (3-0-0)
Keys to the Game
ONE: Better start. The last meeting between these two was dictated early by the Lightning, and the first period (read: first 10 minutes) has been a point of emphasis for the Blue Jackets in the last week.
TWO: Bear down. You won't get many chances from the Lightning, but when opportunity arises, the Blue Jackets have to do better on the business end. They've done well to generate more high-danger chances in the last handful of games, and that must continue tonight against Tampa.
THREE: Nothing for free. The Lightning are too good and too deep. They don't need the Blue Jackets' help.
Lightning Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Vladislav Namestnikov | 14 GP, 5-8-13 | 91 | Steven Stamkos | 14 GP, 6-18-24 | 86 | Nikita Kucherov | 14 GP, 13-8-21 |
| 18 | Ondrej Palat | 14 GP, 4-5-9 | 21 | Brayden Point | 14 GP, 6-9-15 | 37 | Yanni Gourde | 14 GP, 3-5-8 |
| 14 | Chris Kunitz | 14 GP, 2-2-4 | 9 | Tyler Johnson | 14 GP, 4-3-7 | 24 | Ryan Callahan | 14 GP, 1-1-2 |
| 17 | Alex Killorn | 14 GP, 1-9-10 | 40 | Gabriel Dumont | 6 GP, 0-0-0 | 23 | JT Brown | 6 GP, 0-2-2 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | Victor Hedman | 14 GP, 1-8-9 | 59 | Jake Dotchin | 13 GP, 0-2-2 |
| 89 | Mikhail Sergachev | 14 GP, 4-7-11 | 6 | Anton Stralman | 14 GP, 2-3-5 |
| 55 | Braydon Coburn | 14 GP, 0-5-5 | 5 | Dan Girardi | 14 GP, 0-1-1 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | Andrei Vasilevskiy | 12 | 10-1-1 | 2.42 | .928 | 1 |
| 31 | Peter Budaj | 2 | 0-1-1 | 4.00 | .855 | 0 |
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