No hard feelings, right?
For the first time since April 16, the Tampa Bay Lightning will play in a hockey game in Nationwide Arena. It'll be quite the long-awaited visit from the former Presidents' Trophy-winning club.
That famous April date (infamous for Tampa Bay fans) will be forever scorched into the minds of the Lightning squad from a year ago. The date in which the Columbus Blue Jackets pulled off one of the greatest upsets in postseason history by sweeping the historic Lightning team that had tied the NHL record for most wins in a single season.
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| TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING |
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35–15–5 (75 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7:30 P.M. – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OHIO. |
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NBSCN - Regional NBC SPORTS |
Though the series was over in four games, it was a highly-entertaining and back-and-forth affair where many enemies were created on the ice - and a newfound fan rivalry off the ice.
There will likely be no love lost tonight. You won't want to miss this. Here's a look at tonight's projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
Forwards
Foligno–Dubois–Bjorkstrand
Nyquist–Jenner–Foudy
Milano–Nash–Bemstrom
Gerbe–Stenlund–Robinson
Defenseman
Werenski–Nutivaara
Gavrikov–Savard
Peeke–Harrington
Goaltender
Merzlikins
Storylines
- Foudy For Thought. Forward Liam Foudy, a former first-round pick (No. 18 overall) for the Blue Jackets makes his NHL debut tonight. We'd like his first career start to come with better news - but in this case, it's veteran forward Cam Atkinson being sidelined due to tweaking a former lower-body injury.
- Weather The Storm. The Tampa Bay Lightning are going to come out flying. There's no way around it. The Blue Jackets need to prepare for an absolute steamer of a start from the Lightning and need to decide if they want to fight fire with fire or be patient. Regardless, look for the Lightning to want their vengeance early and often. It's a shame Josh Anderson has to miss out on the fun.
- One Game At A Time. The Blue Jackets had recorded a point in ten straight contests until their regulation loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. The club has gone through some serious point streaks the past few months, but the mindset should be to take it one game at a time. If a streak comes - it comes, but don't think about the next game until it officially arrives. Every point matters in this playoff push.
- Why Not Another? All-Star Defenseman Seth Jones has been placed on injured reserve following an ankle injury he suffered in Saturday's loss to the Avalanche - continuing to add to the abundance of man-games lost by the Blue Jackets. As a result of Jones' injury, Scott Harrington draws into the lineup.
