Free NHL Hockey Prediction: Blue Jackets vs. Lightning NHL Odds
Looking for Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning free hockey plays & NHL Odds? NHL betting sees the Blue Jackets taking on the Lightning on Tuesday August 11th at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NHL Hockey games all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily NHL hockey predictions like this Blue Jackets Lightning matchup.
NHL Handicapping Analysis
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Date: Tuesday, August 11th
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
NHL Hockey Moneyline Odds: Blue Jackets +150 Lightning -170
NHL Hockey Puck Line Odds: Lightning -1.5 (+155)
NHL Betting Total: 5.5
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The NHL playoffs are officially underway. Lines are going live with the most up to date being at BOVADA & You can check out BODOG if you’re in Canada. NHL Props, series prices, and game by game NHL lines are posted.
The hockey Gods at least have a sense of humor heading into this strange 2020 playoffs. By sheer fate, the Blue Jackets will play the Lightning in the first round of the postseason.
For those who don’t know, it was Columbus who knocked out Tampa Bay in the 1st round last season. The Lightning had come in with 128 points and the President’s Trophy before being swept by the Blue Jackets.
Last year’s Columbus win was the first time the team with the most points in the regular season had been bounced in four games in the opening playoff round. Last year’s win also marked Columbus’ first franchise playoff series win.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus comes into Tuesday’s game with confidence after last year’s series but also knows they won’t be overlooked in 2020.
The Blue Jackets have already faced one of the toughest challenges in the NHL restart, beating Toronto in the 5-game play-in series even though the Maple Leafs were on their own ice in the ‘neutral site.’
Joonas Korpisalo gets Tampa Bay in the first game of the actual postseason startup. He’s a very hit-or-miss netminder with two SOs vs. Toronto but allowing 5 goals in the other two outings.
Tampa Bay Lightning
It’s pretty much a guarantee that Tampa Bay is not going to look past Columbus in this year’s postseason. The Lightning crowned themselves after the 4th most points in league history – they forgot the playoffs mattered.
The Lightning do have a few games under their belts after the restart. TB has beaten Washington (shootout) and Boston while also losing to Philadelphia in their first game action in five months.
Columbus ranked 27th during the regular season in goals scored and they get Andrei Vasilevskiy in the series opener. The veteran goaltender has allowed 7 scores in three games of the restart.
NHL Betting Trends:
- Under is 6-2 in Blue Jackets last 8 overall
- Under is 25-10-1 in last 36 head to head meetings
Free Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning NHL Prediction:
The popular pick in this one is going to be Tampa Bay in the ‘revenge game’ against a Blue Jackets team that ruined the Lightning’s coronation ceremony with a first round sweep last year. Let’s be a contrarian though.
4* Free NHL Betting Pick: Under 5.5
Vasilevskiy will be great in this one and the nerves of the ‘actual playoffs’ will have both teams playing on edge.
**NOTE** – The 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers will begin Saturday, Aug. 1 in Florida and Toronto. The top four teams in both conferences will play a 3-game round robin for seeding in the First Round. The 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers will be best-of-5 series with the losing teams being entered into Phase 2 of the NHL Draft Lottery.
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