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The Tampa Bay Lightning will seek a bounce-back win when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay is the favorite, and we tell you if they will win when we name our NHL betting picks in our Lightning vs. Blue Jackets preview.
- What: NHL
- Who: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
- Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
- When: Tuesday, March 4th, 2025
- Time: 7 p.m ET
Tampa Bay is having yet another solid season in the Atlantic Division. The Lightning have an overall record of 35-21-4. They sit third in the points table with 74 points from 60 matches.
Jon Cooper’s team has a goal differential of +54. They have scored 212 goals and conceded only 158. The Lightning are the highest scorers in the Atlantic Division and also have the best defense.
Columbus has an overall record of 30-22-8. Dean Evason’s team is fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 68 points from 60 matches.
The Blue Jackets have a goal differential of +9. They have scored 205 times and conceded 196. Only the Flyers and the Penguins have conceded more in the Metropolitan Division, and they both sit in the bottom three.
Tuesday’s meeting will be the third time the two franchises have clashed this season. The head-to-head is currently all square at one win each.
The Blue Jackets won the first match 7-6 in overtime back in November. Tampa Bay gained revenge in the second match in December, winning 5-3 at the Amalie Arena.
Now, let’s see who the bookmakers believe will go ahead in the overall head-to-head this season.
Lightning vs. Blue Jackets match betting.
Tampa has won eight of their previous nine matches. They are also at home, where they have a strong record at the Amalie Arena, so it will come as no surprise to see the bookmakers favor Jon Cooper’s team for the win.
Tampa Bay is -180 to win on the money line (Tampa was +135 to beat the Panthers), with the Blue Jackets at +150.
Columbus is -166 on the puck line with a 1.5-point head start. Tampa Bay is +140 to win by two goals or more and cover the spread.
The total points spread is 6.5 goals. Over is the favorite at -115. Under is -105.
We have plenty more Lightning vs. Blue Jackets wagering options from the best NHL betting online sites, below. You can also read more about the sites, and learn about betting on the NHL on our How to Bet on Hockey Online page.
| Lightning vs. Blue Jackets |  |  |  |
| Lightning | -180 | -180 | -180 |
| Blue Jackets | +150 | +150 | +150 |
| Lightning (-1.5) | +140 | +140 | +140 |
| Blue Jackets (+1.5) | -166 | -166 | -166 |
| Over 6.5 | -115 | -115 | -115 |
| Under 6.5 | -105 | -105 | -105 |
Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 8-1-1 in their last ten matches. They have scored an average of 3.7 goals per game and conceded just 1.8.
The Lightning saw an eight-match winning streak end when they lost 2-1 to the Florida Panthers on Monday. A tightly contested game was settled by two goals from Aleksander Barkov. Brayden Point scored the consolation goal for Tampa.
Final. #TBLvsFLA pic.twitter.com/IxRAXQgCrM
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 4, 2025
After Monday’s showdown with the Panthers, the Lightning drifted from +350 to +460 to win the Atlantic Division. The Panthers at +100 are now the favorites, with the Maple Leafs out to +135.
Tampa Bay is +700 to win the Eastern Conference and +1400 to win the Stanley Cup.
Following the Blue Jackets, Tampa will welcome the Buffalo Sabres to the Amalie Arena on Thursday.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus has a 6-3-1 record in their last ten matches. The Blue Jackets have scored an average of 3.6 goals per game over the last ten and conceded an average of 2.8.
Dean Evason’s team is currently on a winning streak of four matches. The run started with a 5-1 home win over the Blackhawks on February 23rd. A 6-4 home victory over the Dallas Stars followed, and Evason’s team then won 5-2 on the road at Detroit.
Next up, the Blue Jackets defeated the Red Wings again in the return match, this time, recording a 5-3 win at the Ohio Stadium.
Columbus is an unlikely +35000 to win the Metropolitan Division. The Blues Jackets are +5000 to win the Eastern Conference and +10000 to win the Stanley Cup.
Following their clash with the Lightning, the Blue Jackets will remain in Florida and take on the Panthers on Thursday.
Lightning vs. Blue Jackets Betting Picks and Predictions
Tampa Bay is 21-7-2 at the Amalie Arena. They have the best home-ice record in the Atlantic Division.
Columbus is 10-16-4 on the road. They have one of the worst records on the road in the Metropolitan Division.
Three of the four matches the Blue Jackets won in their four-match winning streak have been at home. They’ve also lost two of their last four on the road.
There have been some impressive wins on enemy ice for Dean Evason’s team in recent weeks. There was a 5-1 victory over the Maple Leafs in Toronto and a 2-1 overtime win over the Golden Knights at the T-Mobile Arena. Both victories came towards the end of January.
But the bottom line is that Tampa Bay is in red-hot form at the moment. They are playing on another level. We are backing Tampa Bay to win at +140 on the puck line for our betting pick.
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