PREVIEW: Road swing continues for CBJ in South Florida

The Tampa Bay Lightning has used a core of superstars – Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy among them – to one of the most successful recent runs in NHL history, including a pair of Stanley Cups in 2020 and ’21.

And it’s fair to say those players were the difference in the Bolts’ 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. Stamkos had a hat trick, Kucherov padded his NHL-best point total with three assists, and Vasilevskiy made saves when needed in the Lightning’s 12th win in the last 16 games.

Meanwhile, for the Blue Jackets, a solid performance was left with no reward. Per Natural Stat Trick, Columbus had advantages at 5-on-5 in shot attempts (57-50), scoring chances (26-20), high-danger chances (6-5) and expected goals (2.16-1.92), but the big boys for Tampa made the difference against the Jackets’ depleted lineup.

“We played really well,” head coach Pascal Vincent said postgame. “We didn't finish around the net, but we played well in all three zones, and we didn't give much. We track the chances for and against, and usually it's a pretty good indication on who's gonna win the game. That changes a little bit when we rewatch the game, but right now our numbers are 22 chances for and we gave up only 14, which is a real good game against any team in the NHL, let alone against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“Collectively, they showed up today, and the way we played was the right way.”

It was also another tough night on the injury front for the Blue Jackets, who saw Alex Nylander leave warmups halfway through and not dress because of a lower-body injury. His replacement in the lineup, Carson Meyer, skated just two shifts before a check into the boards ended his night.

Shorthanded, Columbus battled throughout, but the difference ended up being three third-period goals for the Lightning.

“We worked hard for two periods, and they found a way to get a little momentum there early in the third and they scored two big goals and took the lead on us,” Johnny Gaudreau said. “We were right there, start the third period and, you know, they pushed a little bit harder to start the third.”

Know The Foe: Florida Panthers

Head coach: Paul Maurice (2nd season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.20 (14th) | Scoring defense: 32.46 (1st) | PP: 24.5 percent (7th) | PK: 82.7 percent (6th)

The narrative: For a team that burst onto the scene a few years ago as an offensive juggernaut, the Panthers have turned to defense this season for success. Florida can still score in bunches, to be sure, but this is a much tighter checking team than in recent years that boasts quite a mean streak as well. Coming off last year’s surprising run to the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers hope to not just return but bring the trophy to South Florida as well.

Team leaders: Raise your hand if you expected Sam Reinhart’s first 50-goal season? The 28-year-old has had a tremendous year, placing second in the league with 53 goals among his team-best 90 points. Matthew Tkachuk is right behind as one of only two players in the NHL with at least 20 goals and 85 PIM – his brother Brady is the other – while boasting a 25-59-84 line. Aleksander Barkov adds a 23-53-76 line while CBJ killer Carter Verhaeghe has 33 goals among his 71 points.

In net, Sergei Bobrovsky is a legitimate Vezina Trophy contender, as the former Jacket has a 34-17-4 record, 2.43 GAA and .913 save percentage. Backup Anthony Stolarz has a 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage.

What's new: Florida is ramping up for the postseason while holding the second spot in the Atlantic Division, but it’s been a struggle of late, as the Panthers are 4-7-2 in the last 13 games. The power play has gone cold with just four tallies in that span, while Florida is scoring just 2.61 goals per game. The team is also without defenseman Aaron Ekblad and Verhaeghe at the moment because of injuries.

Trending: The Panthers have continued their recent mastery of the Blue Jackets, winning both games this year – 5-4 in overtime in Sunrise on Nov. 6 and 5-2 at Nationwide Arena on Dec. 10 – leaving the Blue Jackets at 3-11-2 in the series the past four seasons.

Former CBJ: Bobrovsky is joined by forward Kevin Stenlund, who has a 10-4-14 line in 78 games this year.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Dmitri Voronkov – Justin Danforth
Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Kirill Marchenko
Mikael Pyyhtia – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier
James Malatesta – Brendan Gaunce – Trey Fix-Wolansky
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Ivan Provorov – Erik Gudbranson
Nick Blankenburg – David Jiricek
Jet Greaves
Malcolm Subban

Scratches: Adam Fantilli (calf laceration), Yegor Chinakhov (upper-body), Adam Boqvist (upper body), Boone Jenner (day to day), Elvis Merzlikins (lower body), Daniil Tarasov (upper body), Jake Bean (upper body), Carson Meyer (upper body), Alex Nylander (lower body)

Injured reserve: Kent Johnson (torn labrum in left shoulder, out for season)

Roster Report: Fix-Wolansky was recalled given the injuries suffered Tuesday by Meyer and Nylander and may be needed to enter the lineup, as the latter is likely a game-time decision tonight.

3 Stats to Know

• Zach Werenski tied James Wisniewski (2013-14) for a CBJ single-season record with his 44th assist Tuesday night. He has set a career high with 53 points on the season, and his point total is second all-time for a single season among CBJ defensemen (Seth Jones, 57, 2017-18).
• Johnny Gaudreau notched his 500th career assist Tuesday, making him one of 27 active NHLers to reach the mark. With 48 assists on the season, he’s two away from his second consecutive 50-helper season, which would make him only the second CBJ player to reach the mark (Artemi Panarin).
• Milestone watch: Johnny Gaudreau is one assist from 500 for his NHL career (242-499-741, 759 GP). ... Werenski is two points from 300 for his NHL career (88-210-298, 482 GP). … Alexandre Texier is two games away from 200 for his NHL career (33-45-78, 198 GP).

Who’s Hot

Kirill Marchenko notched his fifth career NHL game with multiple goals Tuesday in Tampa Bay and reached a new career high with 23 tallies on the season. He has a 5-2-7 line in the last six games and has three multipoint games in that span. … Dmitri Voronkov’s 18th goal of the season last week moved him into third place alone in CBJ annals in goals for a rookie, behind only Marchenko (21, 2022-23) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (20, 2017-18). He is currently tied for fourth this season among NHL rookies in tallies. … Cole Sillinger has a 2-4-6 line in the last seven contests. ... Alex Nylander’s 10 goals since making his Blue Jackets debut Feb. 23 are a franchise record for a player in his first 20 games with the squad. He has three multigoal contests in that time span. ... Zach Werenski has a 5-10-15 line in the last 14 games, and his eight goals since Feb. 17 are tied for second among NHL defensemen. ... Johnny Gaudreau has a 4-26-30 line in the last 31 games. ... The team’s rookie stat line of 31-42-73 is second in the NHL in goals and fourth in points.

This Day in CBJ History

April 11, 2015: Cam Atkinson clinches a 5-4 shootout win over the New York Islanders in (what was supposed to be) the final regular season game played at Nassau Coliseum to extend their club record regulation unbeaten streak to 13 games (12-0-1). The previous mark was 12 games in 2013 (8-0-4).

April 11, 2021: The Blue Jackets acquire a 2021 first-round selection and 2022 fourth-round pick from Toronto in exchange for captain Nick Foligno.