Lightning begin the road trip against a familiar foe

In the last two seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets have engaged in some of the most epic playoff battles in both teams' histories.
In 2019, the Lightning had one of the finest regular seasons ever in the National Hockey League, the Bolts tying the record for most wins (62) and producing the fourth-most points. And yet it meant nothing as Columbus swept the Lightning from the playoffs in less than a week over four excruciatingly painful First Round games.
Last season, the Lightning got their revenge. The teams played the fourth-longest playoff overtime game in NHL history to begin their First Round series, Brayden Point finally ending the prolonged affair with his game-winning goal 10:27 into a fifth overtime. Tampa Bay would go on to defeat Columbus in five games on their way to capturing the second Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Following the championship season, Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said that the energy expended to with that five-overtime game affected his team throughout the postseason, but the confidence they gained from slaying the dragon that was their nemesis the season prior lifted them in their championship run.

Now the Bolts and Blue Jackets are in the same division, both teams occupying the Central after the NHL reconfigured the divisions to limit travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, does that, along with the events of the past two seasons, make them rivals now?
"All I know is they're a tough opponent," Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said after his team's practice Tuesday at the TGH Ice Plex. "I've always had a ton of respect for them. Our team has had a ton or respect for them even before what happened a couple of years ago and last year in the playoffs. We know they're going to be well coached and well-structured and not give us anything easy. If there's any kind of rivalry there, that's for (the media) to decide. We just know it's going to be a tough game."
The Lightning and the Blue Jackets will play the first of eight regular season matchups on Thursday at Nationwide Arena. The game will be Tampa Bay's first away from AMALIE Arena this season and the start of a four-game road trip.
The Bolts are playing for the first time since January 15 after having their last two scheduled games against Dallas January 17 and 19 postponed because of a Covid outbreak in the Stars training camp.
The Lightning are 21-10-0 with one tie all-time in the regular season versus Columbus, their .672 points percentage their second highest against any NHL opponent. Tampa Bay has won seven in a row in the regular season over the Blue Jackets.
"I think our feeling probably towards the Columbus Blue Jackets is a little different since our disastrous playoff in 2019, I'll tell you that," Bolts head coach Jon Cooper said. "It's funny, we've had some success against them in the regular season and we all know how that played out in 2019. The one thing is, their core group has pretty much stayed the same, and so has ours. So, we really have a good feeling for each other. I think there's a major respect value on our part. And not that we disrespected them back in 2019, that wasn't it at all. But we are well aware of the damage that team can do and how hard it was to beat them in the playoffs. And so it's weird, a team that's not in our division that we've had so (many) high-tension games with them but there is a lot of familiarity between the two teams and I know the respect value is really high and any time you play them, if you're coming away with two points, you're definitely going to earn it."

PRACTICE ABSENCES: Backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney and third line winger Blake Coleman didn't practice for the second-straight day as both remain on the NHL's list of players unavailable due to Covid protocol.
McElhinney was placed on the list Saturday. Coleman went on Monday.
Jon Cooper didn't have an update whether either would be available for Thursday's game in Columbus or their status for the rest of the road trip.
"We'll know by Thursday with precaution going out," Cooper said. "When we know, we'll let you know."
Andrei Vasilevskiy, meanwhile, didn't skate Tuesday either. But the team announced shortly after practice started he was taking a body maintenance day, and Cooper answered "no" when asked post practice whether there was any concern about Vasilevskiy not being available for Thursday's game.
With two goalies out and only Christopher Gibson available to practice, the Lightning turned to goaltending coach Frantz Jean to help out. Donning Vasilevskiy's old mask, Jean looked slightly less spry in net than the three-time Vezina finalist but held his own against one of the League's top offensive teams.

"He's good in there," Brayden Point said. "If you aren't shooting to score, he'll stop it."
A NEW-LOOK THIRD LINE: With Blake Coleman unable to practice, Mathieu Joseph jumped up to the third line with Yanni Gourde and Barclay Goodrow for the second-straight day.
The move seems like a natural. The Lightning are replacing one of their fastest players in Coleman with maybe the fastest player on their roster. And Joseph possesses a relentlessness that has become a hallmark of the Bolts' third line.
"He needs to use (his speed) because Coleman has it, so if you're going to bring a lot of the same energy that line has, getting in on the forecheck, using your speed, being up top all over the ice is a big key," Cooper said. "And so Jo's got some speed, but so does Coleman. I think he can fit right in there. Pretty tenacious player, so I think he can be okay."
Joseph scored a goal in the season opener playing on the second line with Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli as Tyler Johnson was unavailable to play. With Johnson back in the lineup for game No. 2, Joseph took two shots and dished out one hit logging 7:15 of ice time with the fourth line alongside Pat Maroon and Mitchell Stephens.
Ryan McDonagh on if he noticed any differences in Chicago's play from game one to game two with teams playing consecutive games against one another this season:
"I guess based off a short two-game sample you saw Chicago lose game one, not get anything on the board and they kind of switched up their lines a little bit. You're going to get different looks in a short span against the same team. For a defenseman, I kind of like seeing the same team twice. You get familiar with their lineup, some of their guys. You play the first game, yeah, maybe you haven't seen them in a while, but to be able to play that second game in a short span you kind of get a feel for their systems, the style they play, some of the players, their tendencies. In my eyes, it helps us as defensemen and I'm sure forwards they think the same thing as well when they get to see the same D men or the same pairing out against them so they can make adjustments too. You can see us making changes. We talk about face-off plays, things that they did in the first game and things we try to do better in the second game. It's going to be like that the whole year I'm assuming."