All right, let's slice this ice-cold pie. Over in the Tampa Bay Lightning corner, main man between the pipes is Andrei Vasilevskiy. With 352 saves this season and 92.6% save percentage last month, I'd say his gloves are pretty much magnetized to the puck. His counterpart in the Blue Jackets' crease, Elvis Merzlikins, has also shown decent form with a 91.6% save rate last month, but he's a little behind on this season's tally with 260 saves.
Now, on to the skaters. Lightning scorer Nikita Kucherov has been as flashy as his name suggests. He's been putting up points like a high school mathlete with 4 goals and 12 assists last month alone. Victor Hedman and Brayden Point have also been contributing their fair share, notching up a number of goals, assists, and solid plus-minus stats.
The Columbus squad isn’t short on talent either. Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan have secured their team some points in the last month with multiple goals and assists each. However, their stats don't dazzle quite as bright as their Lightning counterparts.
Now, let’s add a dash of history here folks. Looking at past showdowns, the Lightning seem to have a power supply as they’ve outscored the Blue Jackets in 3 out of their 4 last meetings.
Both teams have had their ups and downs this season as indicated by their win-loss records, with the Lightning shining a bit brighter. Recently, the Lightning has been shocking the competition, securing some decent wins, while the Jackets seem to have a few loose threads, struggling with consistency.
Can the Blue Jackets stitch up a win here? Unlikely. Buckle up, because here comes the thunder. Albert’s Prediction: Tampa Bay Lightning by 2.
