Tampa Bay Lightning at Columbus Blue Jackets - 4/28/22 NHL Picks and Prediction

Columbus Blue Jackets (36-37-7) vs Tampa Bay Lightning (50-22-8)

Game Info: Thursday, April 28, 2022 at 7:00 pm (Nationwide Arena)

Betting Odds: Columbus Blue Jackets +228 / Tampa Bay Lightning -294 --- Over/Under: 6.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Columbus Blue Jackets host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Thursday NHL Action.

The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this road contest with an overall record of 50-22-8. Through 80 games, the Lightning are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. On the season, they have found the net 279 times, good for a rank of 8th among NHL teams. Heading into the game, Tampa Bay is the 5th ranked defensive team, allowing opponents to score at an average rate of 2.74 goals per game. So far, the Lightning have a strength of schedule rating of 20th in the league. When diving into their opponent-adjusted scoring margin, they come into this game as the 6th-ranked team in the NHL.

The Columbus Blue Jackets get set to host the Tampa Bay Lightning with an overall record of 36-37-7. This mark places them 6th in the Metropolitan division. Through 80 games, the Blue Jackets have scored 254 goals, giving them an average of 3.13. This output gives them a rank of 14th among NHL teams. On defense, Columbus is the 28th-ranked unit, giving up 3.63 goals per contest. So far, the Blue Jackets have played the 15th toughest schedule in the league. And, when taking into account Columbus's scoring margin relative to the quality of their competition, they come in with a power ranking of 23rd in the NHL.

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Through 79 games, the Tampa Bay Lightning goal and overall scoring leader is Steven Stamkos with 101 points. He has reached his mark of 39 goals, on a shooting percentage of 16.8%. So far, 41.0% of his goals have come during power play time. Behind him is Victor Hedman, who has 62 assists to go along with his 20 goals. While on the ice, his offensive production has led to a plus-minus rating of +26.0. Tampa Bay's top goalie is Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is giving up an average of 2.46 goals per game. In his 62 games played, he has turned in 39 quality starts, giving him a quality start percentage above the league average.

Coming into this game, the Columbus Blue Jackets leader in points is Jakub Voracek. In Columbus's 80 games, he has come up with 5 goals and 54 assists. He has scored his goals on a shooting percentage of 3.6%. The team's top overall goal scorer is Oliver Bjorkstrand. Of his 26 goals, 31.0% have come during power play time. However, when on the ice, the Blue Jackets are -13 in scoring differential. Columbus's top goalie is Elvis Merzlikins, who is giving up an average of 3.25 goals per game. In his 57 games played, he has come up with a quality start just 47 percent of the time.

In Tampa Bay's 80 games, the over has hit in over half of their games, going 42-38. So far, taking the over when the Lightning are playing away from home, has been a good bet with an over-under record of 21-18. On the season, 55.0% of Tampa Bay's games have gone for at least 6 goals or more, with 55% of the scoring coming from the Lightning. In Columbus's 80 games, the over has hit in over half of their games, going 46-31-3. So far, taking the over when the Blue Jackets are playing at home has been a good bet with an over-under record of 24-14-2. On the season, 69.0% of Columbus's games have gone for at least 6 goals or more, with 48.0% of the scoring coming from the Blue Jackets. With an over-under line set at 6.5 goals, look for Columbus and Tampa Bay's strong offensive units to combine to surpass this number.

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