PREVIEW: Blue Jackets, Bolts travel to Columbus to finish two-game set

BLUE JACKETS (36-37-7) vs. LIGHTNING (50-22-8)

Well, figuratively, that is. Columbus is banged-up heading into the final two games of the season, with regulars Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, Sean Kuraly, Alexander Texier, Adam Boqvist and Joonas Korpisalo out of the lineup.
The list of the walking wounded nearly got longer during Tuesday night's game at Tampa Bay, as defensemen Zach Werenski (puck to the face), Andrew Peeke (a different puck to the face) and Nick Blankenburg (undetermined) all went to the room for repairs at different points.
GAMEDAY GUIDE: Werenski, Blankenburg out for tonight against Lightning
Despite all that, the Blue Jackets turned in another solid effort against the Bolts, dropping a 4-1 final that was closer than the score would indicate thanks to standout performances by Tampa forwards Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov as well as goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
"That was a heck of a game," CBJ head coach Brad Larsen said. "I have no issue with how we played tonight. There were zero passengers. We had guys (taking pucks) off the face, bleeding. At one point we have three guys on the bench there as far as defensemen.
"They've won two Cups in a row for a reason. That's a very dangerous team, but I thought how we played them, I thought it was a really solid game from everybody."
On the offensive front, the biggest issue for the Blue Jackets -- other than the standout play of Vasilevskiy, who made a number of difficult saves look easy -- was the team's inability to get pucks to the net. Columbus finished with 21 shots on goal but had 25 others blocked by the Lightning. Add in 17 shots that missed the net and the Jackets finished with just the single goal.
"We had a lot of good looks," Larsen said. "They had 25 blocked shots. The shots (on goal) discrepancy looks like it was, but that's a big group back there. They do a real good job of being in front. And then if you get it by, then you have to get by the other guy, (Vasilevskiy), and he's pretty good."
On the other side of the coin, Stamkos (2-2-4) and Kucherov (1-3-4) delivered the goods on offense as two of the best offensive players in the game kept hot streaks going by manufacturing goals out of the CBJ mistakes on the other side.
"It's a skilled team, but that back end is big and they don't really give you much," Zach Werenski said. "I thought we did a lot of good things, but they shut us down pretty good offensively, and when they get time and space and chances they're gonna score. It's tough that we lost and it's 4-1, but I liked our game for a lot of it."
But for Werenski, these are the challenges that make the end-of-season games the young Blue Jackets are facing -- including tonight's home finale against the Lightning -- so important.
"This time of year is so good for our group, playing against teams like Tampa and then PIttsburgh, and we had a good Edmonton team the other night," the defenseman said. "These games are important. We're out of it right now, but these are teams that are fighting for playoff positioning and trying to get up right before the playoffs.
"I think for our group, being the young team that we are, playing against teams like this, especially Tampa right now, they're firing on all cylinders, back-to-back Stanley Cup champs, I think it's really good for us."

Know the Foe

Don't look now, but the Lightning is back with a vengeance as playoff time nears.
While much of the ink spilled about the Eastern Conference this season has been about whether up-and-coming teams like Florida, Carolina, Toronto and the New York Rangers will have their time, the two-time defending champs are showing they can't be counted out.
Tampa Bay has won six of seven with 40 goals (5.71 per game) in that span, and both Stamkos and Kucherov are on nearly historic hot streaks.
Both are coming off outstanding performances Tuesday against the Blue Jackets. It was the fifth straight game with at least three points for Stamkos (6-11-17 in that span), making him the first player since Jari Kurri in 1992-93 and just the eighth NHL player ever to post that accomplishment. Kucherov, meanwhile, has scored goals in seven straight games while posting a 9-11-20 line in that span.
Currently second in the Atlantic Division behind powerhouse Florida and set to match up with Toronto in the opening round of the playoffs, the Bolts are tied for eighth in the league in points percentage, eighth in scoring (3.46 goals per game), sixth in team defense (2.74 goals allowed per game) and eighth in power-play percentage (23.5).
On the whole, Stamkos has bounced back from a number of injury-plagued seasons to lead the team in scoring, posting a 39-62-101 line that places him tied for eighth in the league in points and tied for eighth in assists. Hedman is having a monster season at age 31, as he's one of three NHL defensemen with at least a point per game with a 20-62-82 line that places him third in the league in scoring from the blue line.
Kucherov has played just 45 games because of injury but is rounding into form at the right time, posting 24 goals and 42 assists for 66 points.
Among the other highlights, Point has a 28-30-58 line in 65 games; Alex Killorn has 25 goals among 59 points; Ross Colton has a career-best 22-goal season; and Corey Perry has added 17 goals in his debut season with the Lightning.
Backup Brian Elliott figures to get the start after Andrei Vasilevskiy went Tuesday, and he boasts an 11-3-3 record with a 2.33 GAA and .914 save percentage.