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Lightning Search for Much-Needed Road Win in Columbus

December 3, 2013, 12:33 AM ET [73 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Ottawa Senators Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Tampa Bay Lightning (16-9-1) are looking to rebound from their Friday loss tonight, as they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets (10-14-3) at Nationwide Arena. After racking up four of a possible six points on their recent three-game home stand, Tampa is now heading out onto the road for this one game. Given the fact that they now sit fifth in the Eastern Conference and boast a rather pedestrian road record (6-6-1), tonight’s contest is a big one in many ways.

While the Lightning did lose 3-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins back before the weekend, they do head into this evening’s game playing some pretty good hockey. The fact is that the Lightning have played generally well against Eastern Conference teams not named Pittsburgh or Boston. Considering the Jackets’s struggles this year in the weak East, Tampa should have a great opportunity to take advantage.

Heading into the Columbus game, the Lightning are still dealing with some pretty significant injuries. Everyone around the hockey world knows that Steven Stamkos is out, but the team is also without Radko Gudas, PC Labrie, Tom Pyatt, Ryan Malone and Keith Aulie. Excluding Stamkos, Gudas is probably the biggest contributor missing from the lineup right now. His hard-hitting game is something the Bolts so desperately miss when he’s not around. While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, Erik Erlendsson did report that the team is hoping Gudas will be back on Saturday for the team’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.

Given all the injuries, expect that flashy rookie Nikita Kucherov will continue to get an opportunity in the lineup. Since being called up from Syracuse, Kucherov has been absolutely electric. Simply put, he just creates offense. Without Stamkos in the lineup, Kucherov’s magic is so unbelievably welcome.

The Blue Jackets, for their part, are also dealing with a couple significant injuries. Nathan Horton continues to recover from off-season shoulder surgery, Marian Gaborik is out with a knee injury, and Brandon Dubinsky has been out for the last little while with a foot injury. The good news for Columbus is that it sounds like Dubinsky will play tonight against the Lightning.

A team that looks really good on paper, the Jackets have struggled this season. After their magical run to end last season, many people thought they would be destined for the playoffs this year. As their record shows, that likely won’t be happening. The biggest difference between this year’s Blue Jackets and last year’s Blue Jackets is definitely the play of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. After lighting the league on fire last season, Bobrovsky has been subpar in 2013-14. Blue Jackets fans are experiencing the pains that come with severe regression. Bobrovsky’s 2.81 goals-against average and 0.906 save percentage simply aren’t good enough to get the job done.

If the Lightning want to grab two points tonight, they need to go out and play their game; it’s that simple. When the Lightning are skating, they’re difficult to deal with. Creating offense isn’t a problem for this Tampa team. The key now is making sure that skaters convert on their opportunities. Against a Blue Jackets team that has struggled both offensively and defensively so far this season, the Lightning will certainly get their looks.

As always, thanks for reading.
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