Tampa Bay Lightning vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 10/18/25

The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to a relatively underwhelming 1-2-2 start this season. But, they’ve lost 4 games by a combined 5 goals, with their last 2 losses coming in overtime to the Red Wings and Capitals. The good news is that the Blue Jackets are also off to a slow start. Columbus enters this matchup with a 1-3-0 record on the young campaign. Aside from a 7-goal eruption against the Wild, the Blue Jackets have struggled to get going offensively. Kirill Marchenko is carrying the load right now, as he already has 4 goals in 4 games. But, other scorers like Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and Sean Monahan have yet to get going.

This is a series that Tampa Bay has dominated in recent seasons. The Lightning won both meetings last season by a combined score of 11-5, and have won 7 of the last 10 meetings going back to 2022. Despite playing on the road, Tampa Bay has better forward depth which could prove to be the difference in this one. The Lightning have had some close losses up to this point, and despite their struggles, they should enter this game with confidence. They’ve controlled the Blue Jackets in recent memory, and are in a good spot to find the win column in this one.

Lightning vs Blue Jackets prediction: Lightning ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.