Tampa Bay Lightning play Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena

The Tampa Bay Lightning close their road back-to-back with a 7 p.m. contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday, according to NHL.com.

This meeting is the first of three games between the two teams this season and is the only matchup at Nationwide Arena. Tampa Bay went 0-3-0 against Columbus last season.

During those matchups last year, Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov led the team in scoring with five points each, according to the NHL.com report. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy went 0-1-0 with an .871 save percentage against the Blue Jackets, while Jonas Johansson finished 0-2-0 with an .850 save percentage.

Historically, the Lightning hold a 35-18-2 all-time record against the Blue Jackets, including a 14-12-2 mark on the road. Kucherov stands as Tampa Bay’s career scoring leader against Columbus, recording 15 goals and 37 assists for 52 points across 32 games. Jake Guentzel has added 18 goals and 20 assists for 38 points in 29 career games against them.

Vasilevskiy carries a 17-5-0 career record when facing Columbus, backed by a .924 save percentage and three shutouts. Dennis Hildeby enters Thursday’s game seeking his first start against the Blue Jackets as a Bolt, having previously posted an 0-2-0 record and an .821 save percentage against the franchise.

Television coverage for Thursday’s game runs on The Spot – Tampa Bay 66, with local listings required, and a pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. Radio broadcasts are available on 102.5 MHz-FM via Lightning Radio 24/7, while digital streaming is accessible through TampaBayLightning.com/StreamNow.

Following Thursday night in Ohio, the Lightning host the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, November 14. The schedule continues with matchups against the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, November 17, and the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, November 19.

Worth a look