The Tampa Bay Lighting travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the Blue Jackets in one of four NHL matchups on the NHL schedule for Friday, October 14.
Both teams are looking for their first win of the season. Tampa lost 3-1 to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, while the Blue Jackets dropped a 4-1 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.
It’s the home opener for the Blue Jackets. The Lightning, meanwhile, don’t play at home until Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Last Game Records
For Lightning vs Blue Jackets betting, we have a pair of games to look at to give an idea as to how Friday night’s contest might go. Steven Stamkos scored the lone goal in Tampa Bay’s 3-1 loss on opening night, so several players could be Lightning picks to score against the Blue Jackets. Tampa has a high-powered offense and are unlikely to score fewer than two goals in back-to-back games.
Columbus, meanwhile, was dominated by the Hurricanes on Wednesday night. Carolina outshot the Blue Jackets 43-32. Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov, making just his fifth career start, made 39 saves in the loss. Patrik Laine scored 11 seconds into the first period for the Blue Jackets, but the team was kept off the scoresheet for the remainder of the match.
Matchup Information
- Start Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Venue: Nationwide Arena
- How to Watch: BSOH, BSSUN, NHL Network
Lightning at Blue Jackets Betting Analysis
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay, one of the league’s most consistent teams, is usually a popular Stanley Cup pick but hasn’t received quite the same amount of love from the media this year.
That hype has instead gone to the Colorado Avalanche. Yet, the Lightning still have one of the deepest rosters in the league, arguably the best goaltender in the league, and one of the best coaching staffs. They have the fifth-shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup.
With Brayden Point back at full health, Tampa Bay should have another dominant regular season, and they’ll look to get into the win column in the Lightning vs Blue Jackets betting matchup.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Do the Blue Jackets matchup well against Tampa? Well, that remains to be seen but seems unlikely. Columbus has an inexperienced defense and is fairly thin up front despite signing Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year, $68.25 million contract in the offseason.
Gaudreau turned down more money to play in Columbus, so there’s plenty of pressure on him – and the team – to show improvements this season.
Elvis Merzlikins is expected to start for the Blue Jackets. He was supposed to start the team’s season opener on Wednesday but missed the game due to an injury.
Merzlikins, a 28-year-old from Riga, Latvia, finished last season with a 3.22 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. He’ll need to be better this year and especially on Friday in the Lightning vs Blue Jackets betting.
Columbus has already had injury concerns between the pipes in the preseason. The team’s expected backup goaltender, Joonas Korpisalo, didn’t play in the exhibition schedule due to an injury.
Lightning at Blue Jackets Betting Preview
Although the Blue Jackets are playing their home opener, they’re massive betting underdogs at +150. The Lightning are the betting favorites at -175.
They’re also listed at +140 on the -1.5 puck line, whereas the Blue Jackets are -165 at +1.5. The over/under is 6.5.
Lightning at Blue Jackets Betting Prediction
The home team usually wins in their home opener. The Montreal Canadiens, expected to be near the bottom of the standings this season, even defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, a Stanley Cup contender, in its home opener on Wednesday.
Still, it’s hard to feel confident about a Blue Jackets victory here. Tampa has some of the best NHL player stats in the league, with stars like Nikita Kucherov, Stamkos, Point, and Victor Hedman. Expect a breakout performance from Kucherov and Point, especially, which is why we’re going with the over 6.5 at -105.
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