The Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets play Game 4 of their best-of-seven Sportsbook-round matchup with tonight’s game going from Nationwide Arena. Tampa Bay had the NHL’s best record in the regular season but has dropped the first three games of this series and now Columbus has the opportunity to advance into the second round. The Lightning have opened as a -135 favorite with the Blue Jackets coming back at +115 and the total Sportsbook at 6 goals.
Lightning vs Blue Jackets Game Center
Standout Stats
- For the first time all season, the Lightning have dropped three straight games and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Meanwhile, it appears that the Blue Jackets have peaked at the right time, picking up victories in seven of their last eight games in the regular season and winning three in a row in the playoffs.
- The total has gone UNDER in two of the three games in this series with an average combined score of 5.67. The first two contests had totals set at 6.5 while Game 3 and tonight’s game had the total set at 6.
- This season, Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was incredible, holding a 2.40 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage, both ranking in the top 15 among goaltenders who touched the ice in the regular season. However, in the playoffs, the Russia native holds a .866 save percentage and a 3.73 GAA – only San Jose netminder Martin Jones has worse numbers in the postseason.
- While Vasilevskiy has struggled, countryman Sergei Bobrovsky has been thriving under the big lights. The 30-year-old ranked 29th with a .913 save percentage and 22nd with a 2.58 GAA in the regular season but he has a .940 save percentage and 1.67 GAA in the postseason.
- One of the key factors in Tampa Bay’s demise has been in special teams. In the regular season, the Lightning led the NHL by converting 28.2 percent of their power-play chances and killing off 85 percent of their short-handed situations. In the playoffs, they are 0-for-5 on the power play and Columbus is 4-for-8.
- Injuries have also been plaguing the Lightning as they are without their best defenseman, Victor Hedman, and will likely be without another strong rearguard in Anton Stralman. There will be a boost offensively for Tampa Bay in Game 4, though, as Nikita Kucherov returns after serving his one-game suspension.
My Best Bet for Tampa Bay vs Columbus
OVER 6
Tampa Bay has to come out flying if it wants to see a Game 5, while Columbus doesn’t want to give up any momentum and I don’t know if the goalies will be able to keep up with this breakneck pace that is surely going to come. I think the one-game suspension is also going to fuel Kucherov and that top line for the Lightning and I anticipate a high-scoring game.
