GAME 1 PREVIEW: Columbus meets Tampa once again in Stanley Cup Playoffs

(9) BLUE JACKETS at (2) LIGHTNING

Game 1 of a best-of-seven series

Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET, Scotiabank Arena, Toronto (FOX Sports Ohio, NBCSN, CBJ app, FOX Sports app, 97.1 The Fan)

All along, we probably should have figured this was going to happen.

One season after a series that will be a defining moment for both franchises -- a historic victory for Columbus, a stunning defeat for Tampa Bay -- the Blue Jackets and Lightning will do it again in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

For Columbus, it's a chance to ride momentum from the qualifying series win over Toronto against an opponent it knows it can beat - and still doesn't think gave it enough credit for what transpired a year ago. For Tampa Bay, it's a chance at revenge, with a loaded team hoping to use a series win as a springboard to the Stanley Cup that has yet eluded a talented core.

It's a juicy and obvious storyline but one those involved have said is overrated going into Tuesday's opener.

"I don't even consider it the same," CBJ captain Nick Foligno said. "It's the same teams. That's it. There's a lot of differences, a lot of things both teams have gone through. It's a whole new season.

"That's a storyline for you guys to write. For us, we're just concerned about ourselves. That's kind of ow we've always approached things. It's a great storyline, but that's in the past."

Learn about CBJ Season Ticket Plans

Foligno is right in some ways but wrong in others. The teams are different, starting with a Columbus team that lost goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and forwards Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene to free agency only to watch promising players like Joonas Korpisalo, Elvis Merzlikins, Alexandre Texier and Liam Foudy step in.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay didn't give in to temptation to make major changes after its 62-win team from a year ago was stunningly upset by the Blue Jackets, but the Lightning did try to add a little grit to their game with the acquisitions of such players as forwards Pat Maroon, Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow.

But the bulk of the two rosters remain the same, the coaches are still there too, and perhaps most importantly, the familiarity in how each team plays is still there from the seven days last April. Notably, Columbus has tuned itself around a hard-forechecking, above-the-puck defensive style that it unveiled to such effectiveness in frustrating the Lightning a season ago.

That will continue to be the narrative worth watching - can the Bolts overwhelm the Blue Jackets with wave after wave, as one of the most talented rosters in the league put together a season that saw Tampa Bay again finish as one of the top offensive and defensive teams in the league. Or will the patience and identity of the Blue Jackets again foil the Lightning just like it did the Maple Leafs over the last week?

"I think they both have some really skilled players," defenseman Ryan Murray said of the Lightning and Maple Leafs. "Obviously two very offensive teams, so I think that we really stressed our defensive game during that series against Toronto and I think we're going to be doing the same against Tampa."

Know the Foe

First off, it seems worth pointing out the Lightning might be without two of its top players to start the series in two-time Richard Trophy winner Steven Stamkos and Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Victor Hedman. Stamkos continues to rehab from core muscle surgery in March while Hedman suffered a leg injury Saturday night in the team's round-robin game vs. Philadelphia.

It's been an interesting year for the Bolts after last year's setback with Columbus, as Tampa Bay got out of the gates in fits and starts with a 17-13-4 record through Dec. 21. From there, the Lightning hit the gas pedal, ripping off a 23-2-1 run over two months in which the Bolts outscored teams by an average of 3.7-1.9 per game. In all, Tampa Bay finished 43-21-6, good for second in the Atlantic Division behind Boston, and a points percentage of .657 that tied for third in the NHL.

In the round robin, Tampa Bay beat Washington in a shootout and then downed the Bruins before a 4-1 loss Saturday vs. Philadelphia in a game that determined the top seed in the East.

For a second straight season, the Lightning was excellent on both ends of the ice, pacing the NHL with 3.47 goals per game while allowing 2.77, which placed eighth in the league. The Bolts were third in the league in 5-on-5 goal ratio, placed fifth in power play at 23.1 percent and were 14th in the NHL in penalty kill at 81.4 percent.

Individually, the team was led again by Nikita Kucherov, as last year's Hart Trophy winner didn't approach his 128-point total from a year ago but did still post a 33-52-85 line in 68 games to place seventh in the league in points. Stamkos was second on the team with 29 goals and 66 points in 57 games, while center Brayden Point added a 25-39-64 line and was plus-28.

One of the things that stands out is the depth of scoring for the Lightning, as 11 players posted at least 30 points. Hedman was next with 11 goals among his 55 points, while Alex Killorn had 26 goals and 49 points. Anthony Cirelli (16-28-44), Ondrej Palat (17-24-41), Mikhail Sergachev (10-24-34), Kevin Shattenkirk (8-26-34), Tyler Johnson (14-17-31) and Yanni Gourde (10-20-30) also topped 30 points.

And in net, the team once again boasted a Vezina Trophy finalist in Andrei Vasilevskiy, who won the award as the league's top netminder a year ago. This year, the Russian went 35-14-3 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. He continues to be backed up by former CBJ goalie Curtis McElhinney (8-7-3, 2.89, .906).

3 Keys to the Game

Keep rolling: Does Columbus have an advantage in Game 1 considering it's been playing meaningful games at a playoff intensity over the past week, while Tampa Bay was not at risk of elimination in the round robin? There might be an edge for the Blue Jackets to start things off.

Set the tempo: The challenge for Columbus will be similar to the Toronto series, but Tampa Bay might bring even more of an offensive threat, as the Bolts scored more goals per game this year than the Leafs and have better depth of scoring. Much like in the last series, the Blue Jackets need to avoid ceding odd-man rushes and keep shots to the outside.

Get more up front: Oliver Bjorkstrand, Texier and Gus Nyquist finished the Toronto series without goals. As a team, the Blue Jackets had just 12 tallies in five games, 2.40 per game. Columbus finished with 19 goals in the four games vs. Tampa last year, so they must find more scoring.

Of Note

Columbus did not score a power-play goal in the series vs. Toronto, one of four teams (Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia) without a man-advantage goal in the bubble. … The Blue Jackets outscored Toronto 10-3 in 5-on-5 play in the five games. … Columbus is just one of three NHL franchises to reach the final 16 in four straight seasons, joining Washington and Boston. … Cam Atkinson (2-3-5) led Columbus in points during the Toronto series, while Pierre-Luc Dubois had a team-high three goals. … Of the 13 goalies to play in at least four games so far in the bubble, Joonas Korpisalo leads all goalies in GAA (1.45) and save percentage (.956). … Johnson had two goals to lead Tampa Bay in scoring in the three-game round robin, while Killorn (1-2-3) and Point (1-2-3) each matched him with a team-high three points. … The teams met just once in the regular season, a 2-1 overtime win for Tampa Bay in Nationwide Arena on Feb. 10. They were set to complete the season series March 27 in Tampa and April 2 in Columbus.

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change)

Alexandre Texier - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cam Atkinson

Gus Nyquist - Boone Jenner - Nick Foligno

Liam Foudy - Riley Nash - Oliver Bjorkstrand

Eric Robinson - Alex Wennberg - Nathan Gerbe

Zach Werenski - Seth Jones

Vladislav Gavrikov - David Savard

Ryan Murray - Dean Kukan

Joonas Korpisalo

Matiss Kivlenieks

Scratches:Josh Anderson (unfit to play), Emil Bemstrom, Stefan Matteau, Devin Shore, Kevin Stenlund, Gabriel Carlsson, Adam Clendening, Scott Harrington, Markus Nutivaara, Andrew Peeke, Elvis Merzlikins (unfit to play)

Roster Report:The Blue Jackets skated 11 forwards and seven defensemen in Game 5 on Sunday vs. Toronto after Murray and Werenski dealt with injury issues in Game 4, but both didn't miss a beat in the finale. As a result, Nutivaara played just three shifts in Game 5, so it seems possible the Blue Jackets would go back to a 12-forward lineup. Tortorella said Merzlikins is out to begin the series but did not have a timeline.