Nationwide Arena is the site for an Eastern Conference tilt as the Tampa Bay Lightning visit Ohio to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s the third and last time that the two clubs will go at it in the regular season. This one will get going at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 31 and it’ll be showcased live on Fox Sports Ohio.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Tampa Bay heads into the game as the favorite with a moneyline of -135. The line for Columbus sits at +115, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -105 for the over and -115 for the under.
Tampa Bay is 27-10 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 12.6 units this year. 22 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and none have pushed. As a road team this season, the Bolts are 11-6 SU.
Tampa Bay currently touts the first-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s found the net on 26.1 percent of its extra-man opportunities this year. Its penalty kill is ranked 25th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off only 78.4 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Tampa Bay has been whistled for penalties 4.2 times per game this season, and 5.4 per game over its last five on the road. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays 12.0 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Averaging 28.7 saves per game with a .934 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (24-7-1) has been the best option in goal for Tampa Bay this year. If head coach Jon Cooper decides to rest him, however, Tampa Bay may roll with Peter Budaj (3-4-1), who has a .878 save percentage and 3.80 goals against average this year.
The visiting Lightning have relied heavily on Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos this year. Kucherov has 54 points on 24 goals and 30 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 18 different games. Stamkos has 16 goals and 32 assists to his creditand has registered at least one point in 25 games.
Over on the other bench, Columbus is 22-17 straight up (SU) and has netted 0.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 39 regular season matches, 19 of its games have gone over the total, while another 19 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 14-6 SU at home this season.
Columbus has converted on just 12.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
Columbus players have been penalized only 3.1 times per game in total this season, and 4.2 per game over their past ten outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays 8.8 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Sergei Bobrovsky (28.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus. Bobrovsky has 18 wins, 14 losses, and three overtime losses to his name and has maintained a .918 save percentage and 2.49 goals against average this year.
Artemi Panarin (10 goals, 24 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the Blue Jackets.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The total has gone over in three of Columbus’ last five outings.
The Lightning are 16-4 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 14-4 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Three of Columbus’ last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-2 in those games and 4-3 overall in shootouts this year.
Columbus skaters have forced 8.4 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 7.7 takeaways per game (ranked 13th).
Tampa Bay is ranked 16th this season with 7.5 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower recently, however, as it has created 6.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.0 takeaways over its last five.
