Game Preview #48 – Cut the Power

Columbus Blue Jackets at Tampa Bay Lightning

January 31, 2015 – 7:30 pm EST
Amalie Arena – Tampa, Florida
Radio – 97.1 The Fan – TV – Fox Sports Ohio
Opponent’s Blog: Raw Charge

After getting Artem Anisimov back last game, the Jackets welcome back another injured regular in defenseman Ryan Murray. At this point we don’t know where he’ll slide into the lineup, but my guess is with Fedor Tyutin, in place of Dalton Prout.

We also don’t have confirmation of the goalie matchup yet, but look for Curtis McElhinney vs. Ben Bishop.

The Jackets were sloppy Thursday in a loss to the Panthers, and they absolutely cannot continue that tonight against the Lightning. Tampa Bay is the highest scoring team in the league, with many weapons distributed throughout their lineup.

Tampa is coming off a big 5-1 victory over the Red Wings, a statement game which gave the Lightning back sole possession of first in the Eastern Conference. Cedric Paquette potted the hat trick.

Steven Stamkos is red-hot, and even if his line is shut down, the Jackets still have to deal with the very potent second line of Ondrej Palat – Tyler Johnson – Nikita Kucherov. This line has been a bit cold of late however, and the Jackets want to keep it that way.

The Jackets will need to grind and muck, forcing Tampa into making mistakes and taking penalties. Disrupting the Lightning game plan and converting on the powerplay is what Columbus needs to do to steal a victory tonight.

Projected Lineups

Columbus Blue Jackets
(21-23-3, 45 Points; 6th division, 13th conference)

Tampa Bay Lightning
(31-15-4, 66 Points; 1st Division, 1st Conference)

Season Series

TB – 1-1-0
CBJ – 1-1-0

11/08/14 – Columbus 4 vs Tampa Bay 7
12/06/14 – Columbus 3 at Tampa Bay 1
01/31/15 – Columbus at Tampa Bay

Head to Head Stats