Thursday’s NHL slate features a matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, with the puck dropping at 7:00 PM ET. Whether you’re looking to make a single bet or intend to build a parlay, you’ll want to take a look at our picks and projections in the article below.

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Lightning vs. Blue Jackets Picks

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Total Pick

Pick OU: Push (model projecting 6.5 goals)

• Seven Tampa Bay games this season have gone over Thursday’s over/under of 6.5 goals.
• This season, 11 of Columbus’ games have featured more than 6.5 goals.
• The Lightning score 3.53 goals per game, compared to the Blue Jackets’ average of 3.22, adding up to 0.2 more goals than this contest’s over/under of 6.5.
• These two teams concede a combined 6.2 goals per game, 0.3 less than this one’s over/under.

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Moneyline Pick

Lightning Moneyline: -192

• The Lightning have gone 7-4 this season when favored on the moneyline.
• Tampa Bay has had moneyline odds set at -192 or shorter in just one game this season, and lost.
• The Lightning have a 65.8% chance (based on the moneyline’s implied probability) to win this contest.

Blue Jackets Moneyline: +159

• In 17 games as the moneyline underdog, Columbus has secured the upset seven times.
• The Blue Jackets have three wins in games when their moneyline odds are +159 or longer (in seven such games).
• Columbus has a 38.6% chance to win this game (implied from the moneyline odds).

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Score Prediction

Prediction:
Tampa Bay 4, Columbus 3

Lightning Points Leaders

• Nikita Kucherov is one of Tampa Bay’s top contributors this season with 25 points. He has averaged 0.6 goals per game, shooting 16.7%.
• Having scored five goals and adding 12 assists, Anthony Cirelli is excelling for Tampa Bay through 17 games.
• Through 17 games, Victor Hedman has proven himself as a contributor for Tampa Bay. He has 17 points (four goals and 13 assists).
• Andrei Vasilevskiy (9-5-1) has a 2.1 goals against average and a save percentage of .919 for Tampa Bay.

Blue Jackets Points Leaders

• Kirill Marchenko has totaled six goals (0.3 per game) and collected 10 assists (0.6 per game), averaging 2.4 shots per game and shooting 13.6%. That makes him among the leaders for Columbus with 16 total points (0.9 per game).
• Sean Monahan is a top scorer for Columbus, with 15 total points this season. He has netted six goals and provided nine assists in 18 games.
• Zachary Werenski has four goals and 10 assists for Tampa Bay.
• Elvis Merzlikins’ record stands at 4-5-1 on the season, allowing 27 goals (2.7 goals against average) and amassing 256 saves with a .905 save percentage (26th in the league).

Lightning’s Schedule

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Blue Jackets’ Schedule

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Tampa Bay vs. Columbus Game Info

• Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024
• Time: 7:00 PM ET
• How to watch on TV: ESPN+
• Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo (Regional restrictions may apply)
• Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
• Location: Columbus, Ohio
• Venue: Nationwide Arena

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