Thursday, November 2, 2023
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
TV: Good luck lmao – Radio: 97.1FM
Opponent’s Blog: Raw Charge
Tampa Bay Lightning (4-2-3, 11 points, 4th Atlantic, 7th East)
at
Columbus Blue Jackets (3-4-2, 8 points, 7th Metro, 15th East)
After a pair of disappointing losses and some bag skating by coach Pascal Vincent, Columbus is looking to rebound on home ice versus the electric Tampa Bay Lightning. The latter is battling through the start of the season without Andrei Vasilevskiy, arguably the best goalie in the world, while the former is playing without Patrik Laine, who’s the like seventh best hockey player from Finland.
Player to Watch
Kirill Marchenko
After a disappointing start to the season, Kirill Marchenko sat for the last two games versus the Islanders and Stars. However, the Russian sniper is drawing back into the lineup tonight, playing alongside fellow youngsters Dmitri Voronkov and Cole Sillinger. Kirill needs to impress the coaching staff in order to lock up his roster spot and avoid a demotion to AHL Cleveland.
Jackets Notes
Erik Gudbranson missed practice the last couple days as he nurses some type of lower body injury … Patrik Laine remains out with an upper body injury that’s definitely not a concussion. … The team was scheduled to take the day off upon their return from Dallas Tuesday, but the poor performance led to a change of plans. … They still had their team Halloween party Tuesday night, however, with Adam Fantilli and Patrik Laine with the standout costumes. The Gudbranson’s play on the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce news was also pretty fun.
The Other Bench
The Lightning’s season started with controversy, as longtime captain Steven Stamkos openly complained about not even receiving an offer for an extension from Tampa at the start of training camp. … Andrei Vasilevskiy remains out for the Lightning until at least Thanksgiving. … The Bolts are on a six-game winning streak, with a 3-0-3 record that includes two shutouts over the Hurricanes and Sharks. … They’re also coming off a five-game homestand. … Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, and Victor Hedman are all averaging at or above a point per game.
Season Series
11/2/2023 – Tampa Bay at Columbus
2/10/2024 – Tampa Bay at Columbus
4/9/2024 – Columbus at Tampa Bay
Stats
| Tampa Bay | Columbus | |
| 3.56 (8) | GPG | 2.56 (26) |
| 3.11 (17) | GAPG | 3.33 (24) |
| 33.3% (3) | PP% | 16.1% (18) |
| 86.4% (8) | PK% | 83.9% (10) |
| 48.1% (22) | 5v5 Shot Attempt % | 48.8% (19) |
| 47.1% (25) | 5v5 Unblocked Shot Attempt % | 48.2% (21) |
| 9.4% (10) | 5v5 Shooting % | 6.7% (23) |
| .920 (16) | 5v5 Save % | .911 (20) |
| Hagel/Kucherov, 6 | G Leader | Boone Jenner, 4 |
| Point/Hedman, 8 | A Leader | Ivan Provorov, 7 |
| Nikita Kucherov, 11 | P Leader | Ivan Provorov, 7 |
| Mikhail Sergachev, 8 | PIM Leader | Cole Sillinger, 13 |
| 0-2-1 | Home/Road | 2-3-1 |
| 4-2-3 | Last 10 | 3-4-2 |
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
| Johnny Gaudreau | Boone Jenner | Jack Roslovic |
| Kent Johnson | Adam Fantilli | Emil Bemstrom |
| Dmitri Voronkov | Cole Sillinger | Kirill Marchenko |
| Alexandre Texier | Sean Kuraly | Justin Danforth |
| Zach Werenski | Damon Severson |
| Ivan Provorov | David Jiricek |
| Jake Bean | Erik Gudbranson |
| Elvis Merzlikins |
| Spencer Martin |
Tampa Bay Lightning
| Alex Barre-Boulet | Brayden Point | Nikita Kucherov |
| Steven Stamkos | Nick Paul | Conor Sheary |
| Tanner Jeannot | Anthony Cirelli | Brandon Hagel |
| Michael Eyssimont | Luke Glendening | Waltteri Merela |
| Victor Hedman | Erik Cernak |
| Mikhail Sergachev | Nicklaus Perbix |
| Calvin de Haan | Darren Raddysh |
| Jonas Johansson |
| Matt Tomkins |