Currently the Tampa Bay Lightning are 3rd in the Atlantic Division with the standings 24-13-1, but will the Lightning continue their current home win streak? We take on the Blue Jackets on Tuesday and they currently sit at 8th in the Metropolitan Division. Tampa has currently won 7 home games in a row and the odds are looking good going in Tuesday’s game.
Here is what pushes the Lightning above Blue Jackets and could help the Lightning continue their home win streak. The Lightning are +21 on the scoring differential. This means they are scoring more goals than they allow. This compared to the -52 of the Blue Jackets means our offense has a better chance of scoring then their Offense.
Comparing the averages of the last 10 games things look good for Tampa. The Lightning currently hold 6-4-0 against the Blue Jackets 2-8-0. This may be because the Blue Jackets have some key players still out on injury and have not been able t recover from the loss.
Here is how we lose. Penalties are the bane to any team out there, but this season feels as if the Lightning have not been good on capitalizing on the power plays nor have, they been able to defend against. Take a look at the previous game against the Jets, where we 8 minor penalties and this allowed the Jets to score two goals. We are currently above the League average but if you look back at the early season, we couldn’t score on the Power Play to save our lives. As long as we stay out of the box and put pressure on the defense this is our way to victory, and the Lightning will continue their home win streak. [Source AP News]