Planning on watching today’s Blue Jackets and Lightning game? Catch the action at Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL, as the Lightning hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The odds for this Eastern conference game currently have the Lightning as the -1.5 goal favorite with the over/under line sitting at 6.5 goals.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS VS TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING BETTING PICK

The Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5

This game will be played at Amalie Arena at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, April 9th.

WHY BET THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING:

  • Based on our analysis, we foresee the Lightning winning the game with a predicted score of 4-2.
  • Take the Lightning on the moneyline
  • The Lightning should also cover at -1.5

Can the Blue Jackets Pull Off a Road Win?

Heading into tonight’s game, the Blue Jackets are 26-40-12 on the season and are in 8th place in the Metropolitan Division and 16th in the Eastern Conference. On the road, Columbus is just 10-21-7 this season and have lost five straight games away from home. As the underdog, the Blue Jackets have gone 22-38-11 this season.

In their last ten games, Columbus has gone just 3-7 and they have gone 3-2 in their last five games. In their last three games, the Blue Jackets have gone 1-2. So far this season, Columbus has been the underdog in 71 of their 78 games.

As the underdog, Columbus has gone 41-30 vs. the puck line this season, including a 44-34 mark overall. So far, they have 17 wins by multiple goals and 32 losses by more than one goal.

On the road, the Blue Jackets are 21-17 vs. the puck line this year, and their average scoring margin away from home is -.4 goals per game. In their last ten road games, Columbus has gone just 3-7 vs. the puck line.

For the season, Columbus’ games have finished with an average of 6.5 goals per game. Their average over/under line for the season is 6.5. Overall, the Blue Jackets have an over/under record of 36-37-5.

Although Columbus has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 1-2. The team averaged 1 goals per game in these games.

Offensively, the Blue Jackets come into the game at 2.8 goals per contest placing 26th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are in 20th position in the league. In terms of power play goals, the Blue Jackets offense is 32nd in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they are 25th in the NHL.

Columbus’ leading goal scorer is Boone Jenner. So far this season, he has 22 goals, placing him 100th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Jenner has 13 assists this season.

The Lightning defense is currently 24th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 29.2 shots per game against Tampa Bay. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 14th with 4 shutouts.

Heading into this matchup vs. Tampa Bay, goalie Jet Greaves has started four games in this season. His current record is 2-3, and his save percentage stands at 0.336%.

Are the Lightning Ready for a Home Win?

With just five games remaining in the regular season, the Lightning are in 6th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They have a record of 43-27-7 and have gone 7-3 in their last ten games. Tampa Bay has been favored in 46 of their 77 games and has gone 29-15-2 as the favorite this season.

In their division, the Lightning are in 4th place with a record of 11-12. At home, Tampa Bay has gone 23-10-4 and has won two of their last three games. Overall, the Lightning have 93 points.

At home this season, the Lightning have gone 21-16 vs. the puck line, and their average scoring margin is +.8 goals per game. Overall, Tampa Bay is 41-36 vs. the puck line, and they have 32 wins by multiple goals.

Over their last ten games at home, the Lightning have gone just 4-6 vs. the puck line, and their puck line record as the favorite is 21-25. So far, Tampa Bay has gone 11-24 vs. the puck line in games decided by more than one goal.

This season, Tampa Bay’s games have an average of 6.8 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.4. The Lightning come in with an over/under performance of 37-36-4.

Through their last three road contests, the Blue Jackets offense has averaged 1 goals per game while allowing an average of 4. Columbus posted an overall record of 0-3 while going 1-2 ATS.

When looking at their offense, the Lightning have an average of 3.5 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 5th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 22nd in the league. So far this year, the Lightning are 24-14 in games they have had more shots on goal than their opponent. They are 18-11 in games with fewer shots on goal.

Tampa Bay’s leading goal scorer is Nikita Kucherov. So far this season, he has 43 goals, placing him 8th in the NHL. Along with his scoring, he has come up with 93 assists so far.

The Lightning defense is currently 24th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 29.2 shots per game against Tampa Bay. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 14th with 4 shutouts.

Heading into this matchup vs. Columbus, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has started 49 games in this season. His current record is 29-18, and his save percentage stands at 0.867%.