Tampa Bay Lightning vs Columbus Blue Jackets Picks and Predictions for Thursday, November 12, 2026 

On Thursday, Tampa Bay visits Nationwide Arena for a 7:00 pm ET (ESPN+) matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Lightning (11-4-2, 24 points) are third in the Atlantic Division, while Columbus (7-9-0, 14 points) sits seventh in the Metropolitan. Tampa Bay lost 4-3 to Winnipeg on Sunday, and Columbus fell 4-1 to Florida on Tuesday. The Lightning have won three of five, while the Blue Jackets have won two of five. Tampa Bay completes a back-to-back after visiting Buffalo on Wednesday. The Lightning are 3-4-2 on the road, and Columbus is 6-4-0 at home. Find your next winner with our free NHL picks.

Tampa Bay Lightning Looking for Another Road Win

Tampa Bay's three-game winning streak ended Sunday with a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Winnipeg. The Lightning trailed 3-0 in the third period but stormed back with three goals in just over four minutes. Brandon Hagel started the comeback, and Pontus Holmberg scored twice to tie it. But Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele scored on a 5-on-3 power play with just 1.6 seconds remaining. Tampa Bay had won its previous three against Minnesota, Chicago and Detroit. The Lightning have scored four or more goals in four of their last five games.

Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 22 points and a team-high 17 assists. Jake Guentzel has scored 10 goals, while Brandon Hagel has nine. The Lightning average 3.71 goals per game, sixth in the NHL, but allow 3.06. Andrei Vasilevskiy has eight wins, a 2.85 GAA and an .883 SV%. Tampa Bay has struggled killing penalties, allowing three power-play goals against Winnipeg.

Injuries: Brayden Point is on injured reserve.

Columbus Blue Jackets Looking to End Losing Streak

Columbus couldn't solve Florida goalie Jacob Markstrom on Tuesday, losing 4-1 despite putting 38 shots on goal. The Blue Jackets trailed 2-0 in the second period before Ivan Provorov scored with just 19 seconds remaining. Columbus couldn't find the equalizer, and Sam Bennett scored midway through the third before Florida added an empty-net goal. Markstrom finished with 37 saves. The loss was Columbus' second straight after falling 5-2 to Buffalo last Friday. The Blue Jackets had beaten Dallas and Colorado in their previous two games.

Kent Johnson leads Columbus with eight goals and 16 points. Zach Werenski has a team-high 12 assists, while Charlie Coyle has contributed three goals and 10 assists. Scoring remains a problem. Columbus averages just 2.44 goals per game, ranking 30th in the NHL, while allowing 3.19. Cam Talbot has five wins, a 2.51 GAA and a .909 SV%. The Blue Jackets have scored two goals or fewer in four of their last five games.

Injuries: No injuries listed.

Key To The Game

Tampa Bay has the stronger offense, but playing for the second straight night could make things difficult. Columbus needs to take advantage of tired legs and create more scoring chances. The Blue Jackets generated 38 shots against Florida but managed just one goal. Finishing those opportunities will be important.

Tampa Bay vs Columbus Game Pick

• Tampa Bay Lightning

The Blue Jackets have won six of their last 10 played on home ice, but scoring remains a problem. The Lightning have been scoring much better than Columbus. Kucherov, Hagel, and Guentzel are three dangerous scoring and assisting options for Tampa Bay. Playing two straight nights and on the road are not ideal, but the Lightning will be hard to stop. Take the stronger attack of Tampa Bay to pick up a win on Thursday. 

Tampa Bay vs Columbus Over/Under Pick

• Over

Tampa Bay has scored four or more goals in four of its last five games, with four contests producing at least seven combined goals. The Lightning also allow more than three goals per game. Columbus hasn't been scoring much, but the Blue Jackets generated 38 shots against Florida and could have better luck finishing against Tampa Bay. Playing on consecutive nights may also hurt the Lightning defensively. Both teams should create enough chances to push this game over.