Tampa Bay Lightning (21-8-5, first in the Atlantic) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (15-14-1, fifth in the Metropolitan)
Columbus, Ohio; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Tampa Bay will try to end its three-game losing streak when the Lightning take on Columbus.
The Blue Jackets are 4-8-0 against Eastern Conference opponents. Columbus is the top team in the Eastern Conference with 5.6 assists per game, led by Jakub Voracek averaging 0.7.
The Lightning are 15-7-3 in Eastern Conference play. Tampa Bay ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference averaging 5.3 assists per game, led by Victor Hedman with 0.8.
The teams face off Tuesday for the first time this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Boone Jenner leads the Blue Jackets with 12 goals and has 20 points. Alexandre Texier has five assists over the last 10 games for Columbus.
Steven Stamkos leads the Lightning with 16 goals and has 39 points. Ondrej Palat has four goals and six assists over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jackets: 3-6-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.1 assists, 2.2 penalties and 4.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.6 goals per game with a .901 save percentage.
Lightning: 6-3-1, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.8 assists, 3.9 penalties and 11.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game with an .884 save percentage.
INJURIES: Blue Jackets: Daniil Tarasov: day to day (lower body), Gavin Bayreuther: out (covid-19), Oliver Bjorkstrand: out (health protocols).
Lightning: Mikhail Sergachev: out (health protocols), Brian Elliott: out (health protocols), Andrei Vasilevskiy: out (health protocols), Erik Cernak: day to day (lower body).
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