The Lightning and Blues are playing the second of two matchups this season.
When: Tuesday, December 19 @ 7 pm EST
Where: AMALIE Arena - Tampa, FL
Radio: 102.5 The Bone, Lightning Radio
Where to stream: BallySports.com
Lines from Saturday's game (these could change)
Forwards
Brandon Hagel - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov
Mikey Eyssimont - Anthony Cirelli - Tanner Jeannot
Steven Stamkos - Nick Paul - Conor Sheary
Austin Watson - Luke Glendening - Tyler Motte
Defensemen
Victor Hedman - Nick Perbix
Mikhail Sergachev - Erik Cernak
Calvin de Haan - Darren Raddysh
Goaltenders
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
It’s December, which means we now have a pretty good idea of where the Lightning are as a team. It’s no secret they’re giving up too many 'goals against' right now at 3.56 per game to outweigh the goals they're scoring. The Lightning have always been a “defense wins games” type of team, but we’ve seen that slip over the past two seasons.
Tonight, they have to successfully string together three 20-minute periods, and if they want to make the playoffs, they’ll have to do it consistently for the remainder of the season. Every time these two teams meet, it’s a physical matchup.
The Lightning aren't too far out from where they need to be points-wise, but consistency is the key. A win streak will get them out of the small hole they're starting to dig. It’s time to grab the next few wins at home, starting with St. Louis tonight.
As for the Blues, they have won their last two games after losing four in a row. They’re currently allowing 2.90 goals per game. They come to Tampa with a new coach and some extra energy. Puck drop is at 7pm.