Game Preview: Lightning Host Blue Jackets As Columbus Plays The First Of Three Games In Four Nights To End The Season

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

49–22–8 (106 points; .671%) LINE: TB -380

7:00 P.M. – TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH AMALIE ARENA TAMPA, FL

Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Network)

Fresh off an impressive 5-2 win over the surging Edmonton Oilers, the Columbus Blue Jackets get an even bigger test Tuesday night when they travel to Tampa for the first half of a home-and-home against the Lightning.

For Columbus, it's another opportunity to have their rookies play against some of the best talent the NHL has to offer. Whether or not they're seeing enough time right now is a fair question, but any experience they get as the season winds down is a positive as the Blue Jackets look to develop an impressive young corp of players.

RE: BOLTS

Sunday, the Lightning put an end to the Florida Panthers franchise-record 13-game winning streak (the 2016-17 Blue Jackets thank you). Monday, they traveled to the Nation's Capital — not for a meeting against Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals, but with 46th President of the United States Joe Biden at the White House. 

“We weren’t sure if we were going to get this opportunity," said Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. "But it was certainly worth the wait. That was one of the highlights of a lot of our lives, not just our hockey careers, to get with the president."

Stamkos, who leads the Lightning in goals (37) and points (97), is just one point shy of tying his career-high in the category. Nikita Kucherov (23-39-62), Alex Killorn (25-34-59), and Brayden Point (28-30-58) lead a balanced, yet aggressive, Tampa Bay forward corp. Defenseman Viktor Hedman is having a monster season: his 20 goals, 61 assists, and 81 points are all personal bests. 

The defending Stanley Cup champions have plenty to play for in their final three games of the season, so the Blue Jackets will not be afforded the opportunity to play a resting lineup. The Lightning currently hold the third spot in the Atlantic Division and would face the second-place Toronto Maple Leafs if the playoffs started Tuesday. While unlikely, it's possible that the Lightning can overtake the Maple Leafs and grab home-ice advantage. It's also possible that the Bruins, who are three points behind the Lightning and the owner of a wildcard spot, can pass Tampa and put the Lightning in a wildcard spot. (They know how dangerous those wildcard teams can be.)

STORYLINES

• CAN JAKE DO IT?
  What seemed nearly impossible prior to Sunday's game is somewhat in the realm of possibility now. Jake Voracek's three-assist game in the win over the Oilers put him at 54 assists on the season. With just one more, he'll tie Artemi Panarin for second in franchise history for assists in a season. Panarin's 55 during the 2017-18 season is bested only by his 59 assists the following season. One assist over the last three games of the season to tie Panarin for number two seems likely. The question now: can Voracek get six assists down the stretch to become the record holder?
   
• GIVE 'EM TIME
  Cole Sillinger played just 10:34 in Sunday's win, but had more ice time than Yegor Chinakhov (9:48) and Kent Johnson (8:31). Remember, the Blue Jackets burned an entire year of Johnson's entry-level contract for nine games this season. These games are valuable experience and it would behoove Columbus in the long-term to let these guys get experience in games that don't matter much. Through six games, Johnson is averaging only 12:28 per game. Still, that's more than Chinakhov (12:24) and only about a minute less than Sillinger (13:38). There seems to be little reason that all three guys shouldn't be getting 15 minutes a night right now. Will these guys see a bump in action over the final three games?

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