Lightning at Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are off to their second best 20-game start in franchise history and look to continue riding that wave when they host the struggling Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets, who were buried by stumbles out of the gate the last few seasons, have lost just once in regulation the last eight games to open 11-5-4 – second only to a 14-6-0 start they had in 2010-11.
Columbus is rolling along with solid goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky, improved defense and a forward corps that is not relying heavily on a few players. “Up and down the lineup now, you see how balanced we are,” Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky told the Columbus Dispatch. “(Coach John Tortorella) doesn’t have to hide any of our lines. He’ll put any of us out there against top lines, and that tells you everybody is getting the job done.” The Lightning are fading a bit again after losing three of their last four games, including a 5-3 defeat at home against the Blue Jackets last Friday. Tampa Bay could get top-pair defenseman Anton Stralman back soon, but may be without left wing Ondrej Palat after he took an elbow to the head in the 4-1 loss at Boston on Sunday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Sun (Tampa Bay), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (13-9-1): Coach Jon Cooper continued to juggle his lines to try and get something going with Palat injured Sunday and rookie Brayden Point, who has five points in the last six games, moved to his natural center position for the first time in the NHL. “Right now you’re looking to see what different guys can do in situations,” Cooper told reporters. “. … We put him in there, and once again, he didn’t disappoint.” Point prospered while playing in the third period primarily with Alex Killorn and Jonathan Drouin, who finished with a Lightning season-high eight shots.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (11-5-4): Alexander Wennberg is beginning to become the No. 1 center Columbus envisioned when he was picked 14th overall in 2013 while recording four goals and a team-best 15 assists. “Alex is a different player this year,” Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno told the Columbus Dispatch. “When the game wasn’t going his way before, he might have disappeared for the whole game. Now he finds a way to make a difference.” Forward Cam Atkinson leads the balanced offense with 20 points – 16 in 13 November games, with a plus-6 rating in that span.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay D Victor Hedman has the team’s lone goal Sunday to extend his point streak to four games.
2. Columbus LW Brandon Saad has scored in back-to-back games and boasts five points in the last five contests.
3. Lightning RW Nikita Kucherov leads the team with 11 goals (10 in November) and 26 points (19 in the last 15 games).