Preview: Blue jackets start Key Road Swing at Lightning

When Saturday became Sunday, Blue Jacken Dean Evason's head coach was still thinking of the Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium.

Can you blame him?

After the biggest spectacle in franchise history, which was perfectly covered with a 5: 3 win with a 5: 3 victory against Detroit in the Ohio Stadium, Evason woke up the next morning and wanted to learn more about how the day for those went.

“I went for breakfast before they went, family and friends, just to hear their experiences, right? How did you experience, ”said Evason. “Everyone went and my youngest daughter and I, only she and me, was it like your experience? She was like, that was just incredible. So yes, we definitely talked about it all day. “

But what is done and the question is now whether the blue jackets from what happened on Saturday evening in the Ohio Stadium. The Columbus not only showed more than 94,000 fans present, the Blue Jackets have remained perfect since the break with their fourth regulatory victory in a row.

The last two came against a Detroit team with which they fight for a playoff place, and the two victories over the Red Wings Columbus in the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Before the stadium series was played, the CBJ Center Sean Kuraly said that dynamics could be built from it because the game feels more than just a normal game of the regular season, but Evason said that this was not a guarantee of reaching today's game in Tampa Bay.

“Maybe, I think, but no, I have no experience with it,” said Evason after training on Monday. “The game is over. Did we think about it yesterday, will we talk about it? Sure, why not? It was fantastic, but at the end of the day we have to play in Tampa Bay tomorrow evening and we will prepare for it. “

It is a case of Hot Team against Hot Team because the Blue Jackets have won all four games since the break of the 4 nations, while Tampa Bay won nine of his last 11 games. Columbus also successfully places the puck on the net because the blue jackets in four consecutive games have scored at least five goals, the longest brand in the franchise story.

“Of course it has been Playoffs for us since the break,” said striker Mathieu Olivier. “We try to get into the best possible position to meet these playoffs and end the year, and the game has been increased since the break. Obviously, many people appear. “

Know the enemy: Tampa Bay Lightning

Head coach: Jon Cooper (season 12)

Team statistics: Goals per game: 3.56 (2nd) | Hit defense: 2.63 (6th) | P. 27.3 percent (4th) | PK: 81.1 percent (10th)

The story: The flash played the playoffs in 10 of the last 11 seasons and won the Stanley Cups 2020 and '21, which made the squads a real NHL dynasty over more than a decade, but Tampa has reached successive playoffs from the first round. The departure of the franchise icon outside of the season, Steven Stamkos, led to a retrofitting in the grand piano, which included the addition of the experienced wing Jake Guentzel, and the bolts are on course on a further playoff appearance. It is still an experienced team with a lot of star power that knows how to win, even if it is a little long in the tooth these days.

Team leader: The two-time way Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov has another great season at the age of 31, since the Russian wing with 87 points, including 27 goals, is third in the NHL. Brandon Hagel is one of the hottest players in the NHL and has a 30-38-68 line in the year and is plus 29, while the CBJ-Killer Brayden Point runs the team with 32 goals below its 62 points. In Guentzel's first season in Tampa, he publishes a 27-30-57 line, and Victor Hedman leads the defense with 47 points, 38 templates.

In Net, Andrei Vasilevsky's series of five top 5 surfaces in the Vezina vote last year, but he could be back this year because he is 29-16-3 in 27 starts with a percentage of 2.18 GAA and 0.923 savings. Backup Jonas Johansson is in 13 games with a percentage of 3.24 GAA and 0.892 6-5-1 and could get the nod this evening when Vasilevskiy played at Florida last night.

What is new: Tampa Bay comes to this in the last 11 games with 9-1-1 and has surpassed with 40 to 18 areas 9: 1: 1 during this time, although lightning suffered a regulatory loss last night at the Panthers. The bolts have given up a total of five goals in the last five games, and the experienced squad seems to be locked in for the post -season. Hagel has been leading the NHL with 10 goals and 17 templates since January 30, while Vasilevsky has saved a percentage of 0.952 in its last seven games.

Trying: Columbus won the opening game in the season series with a 7: 6 number on November 21, before Tampa won a home competition with a 5: 3 number of points on December 17th. Columbus has won only six of the last 26 games of the regular season between the two.

Former CBJ: Cam Atkinson, who was 35 years old, signed a one -year contract in Tampa Bay this low season and played in 36 games with three goals and five assists.