Thursday, April 28, 2022 – 7:00PM ET
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
TV: Bally Sports Ohio – Radio: 97.1 The Fan
Opponent’s Blog: Raw Charge
Columbus Blue Jackets (36-37-7, 79 points, 6th Metropolitan, 10th East)
at
Tampa Bay Lightning (50-22-8, 108 points, 3rd Atlantic, 4th East)
The last home game of the season is upon us and only one more game remains after tonight. There have been a lot of positives in Columbus this season and Tuesday in Tampa was no exception. The team played well and showed no signs of coasting despite ultimately getting out talented and losing 4-1 to the Lightning.
I would expect no lack of effort by the Jackets tonight. They are going to want to get a win for the fans as well as prevent the Lightning from completing the season series sweep. In addition, three more points on the season would mean ending the season at .500.
Player to Watch
Elvis Merzlikins
The Latvian goaltender has had an up and down season, but he’s played very well down the stretch. In his last 10 starts, Elvis has a .925 save percentage and has done a great job giving his offense a chance to win games. Expect him to be extra hyped tonight in front of a big crowd. He’ll want to give the fans a show.
Jackets Notes
Werenski returned to the lineup on Tuesday and got rewarded with a puck to the nose … Kuraly has been ruled out for the last two games with a foot injury … Laine hasn’t been ruled out, but it remains unclear whether or not he’ll play tonight or Friday … Jenner has also been ruled out for the last two games.
Season Series
1/4/22 – TBL 7 @ CBJ 2
4/26/22 – CBJ 1 @ TBL 4
4/28/22 – TBL @ CBJ
Stats
| Tampa Bay | Columbus | |
|---|---|---|
| 3.46 (7) | GPG | 3.15 (14) |
| 2.76 (6) | GAPG | 3.62 (29) |
| 23.3% (10) | PP% | 17.8% (24) |
| 81.1% (12) | PK% | 78.8% (20) |
| 51.2% (11) | 5v5 Shot Attempt % | 47.5% (23) |
| 51.5% (11) | 5v5 Unblocked shot attempt % | 46.6% (25) |
| 9.5% (3) | 5v5 Shot % | 9.2% (7) |
| .919 (13) | 5v5 Save % | .909 (25) |
| Steven Stamkos, 39 | G Leader | Patrik Laine, 26 |
| Stamkos & Hedman, 62 | A Leader | Jakub Voracek, 54 |
| Steven Stamkos, 101 | P Leader | Jakub Voracek, 59 |
| Pat Maroon, 130 | PIM Leader | Sean Kuraly, 61 |
| 26-8-6 | Home / Road | 16-21-2 |
| 6-3-1 | Last 10 | 4-4-2 |
Projected Lines
Columbus Blue Jackets
| Gustav Nyquist | Jack Roslovic | Jakub Voracek |
| Yegor Chinakhov | Cole Sillinger | Oliver BJORKSTRAND |
| Eric Robinson | Brendan Gaunce | Carson Meyer |
| Kent Johnson | Justin Danforth | Emil Bemstrom |
| Zach Werenski | Andrew Peeke |
| Vladislav Gavrikov | Nick Blankenburg |
| Dean Kukan | Jake Bean |
| Elvis Merzlikins |
| JF Berube |
Tampa Bay Lightning
| Ondrej Palat | Steven Stamkos | Nikita Kucherov |
| Brandon Hagel | Brayden Point | Alex Killorn |
| Pat Maroon | Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | Zach Bogosian |
| Ross Colton | Nick Paul | Corey Perry |
| Victor Hedman | Erik Cernak |
| Ryan McDonagh | Cal Foote |
| Mikhail Sergachev | Jan Rutta |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy |
| Brian Elliott |