Prediction 
Odds 
Last Recap 
Top Handicapper 
Picks 
The Columbus Blue Jackets have not had the start to the new campaign they wanted, but perhaps the best strategy Thursday would be to somehow take the Tampa Bay Lightning to overtime.
Winning just three of its first nine games, the Metro Division club hosts the Lightning in the first of three matchups, two of them taking place in Ohio’s capital.
If Thursday’s contest does go to overtime, something will ultimately have to give or go to a shootout.
Columbus is 0-2 in the three-on-three, five-minute extra session. It lost consecutive games in late October to Anaheim and Montreal, as the Ducks’ Frank Vatrano and the Canadiens’ Cole Caufield dashed any hopes of a first overtime win with game-winners.
In the Ducks game that started two hours late due to a power outage in and around the Columbus arena, Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said his offense’s power shortage caused the match to head to overtime and Vatrano’s extra-time, breakaway tally.
“I’m disappointed for the players,” Vincent said. “We had more than double the chances for, gave up 12 chances against. Anaheim is a hard-working team and they transition really well.
“But we had our chances, 17 shots in the third period, 28 chances total. These are games we usually win.”
While the Blue Jackets have struggled in overtime, their frustration is nothing compared with that of Tampa Bay.
In their first two overtime matches, with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs, the Lightning failed to touch the puck in overtime and were outshot 7-0 in the two defeats.
They have lost all three outings that needed extra time, though slight progress was made Monday night in a 4-3 overtime home loss to the visiting Seattle Kraken.
Coach Jon Cooper mixed it up in Monday’s five-minute period, sending out fourth-line center Luke Glendening for the opening faceoff, but the veteran specialist in the circle lost the draw to Seattle’s Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who played for Cooper last season.
Tampa Bay did eventually get very brief possession of the puck — evoking sarcastic cheers from the home crowd — but Jared McCann silenced them at 2:53 as he one-timed a power-play game-winner, with Seattle generating all five overtime shots on goal.
With the bonus period all about puck possession, Cooper had plenty to be upset about.
Nick Paul’s hooking penalty that led to McCann’s winning blast was not overlooked either.
“We haven’t won a faceoff in overtime,” said Cooper, whose group is embarking on a four-game road trip with the final three in Canada. “If you’re not going to win faceoffs and then you’re going to take penalties, it’s really hard to do anything in overtime.
“Again, they had possession. We made them turn it over at one point and ended up getting the 2-on-1 out of it and we were that close to winning it in the limited time we did have the puck. But you turn around, lose another faceoff, take a penalty and that’s it. Now, you’re in a little bit of trouble and we couldn’t kill it off.”
The Atlantic Division club has won nine of the past 11 meetings with Columbus, with one overtime victory.
–Field Level Media