The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning begin their quest for the Stanley Cup when they begin their first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday, April 10 starting at 7:00 p.m. EST. Here’s how you can watch via live stream and television.
The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs officially get underway on Wednesday, April 10. At 7:00 p.m. EST, the Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Columbus Blue Jackets at Amalie Arena. This game can be viewed on USA Network nationally in the United States. In Canada, you can turn to Sportsnet360 and TVA Sports.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Tampa comes into this series as the overwhelming favorites. Led by Art Ross Trophy-winning superstar forward Nikita Kucherov, no team scored more goals during the regular season than them. Captain Steven Stamkos had a career season, posting the highest point total of his career.
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Vezina Trophy favorite Andrei Vasilevskiy leads Tampa’s very capable defense. The Lightning also have the reigning Norris Trophy winner in defenseman Victor Hedman. They also have the NHL’s top power-play unit and penalty kill unit. Head coach Jon Cooper leads Tampa, who posted the highest wins total and points total of any team in the salary cap era.
On the other side of the ice, the Blue Jackets come in as the ultimate underdogs. This might be a good role for them. Columbus went all-in at the trade deadline. Though it took them a while to gel, they won seven of their last eight games to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will be a key to their success. Columbus will need their two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender to be at the top of his game if they want to pull off a monumental upset. Their offense is led by Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, and Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Live Stream Information
Date: Wednesday, April 10
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Amalie Arena
Location: Tampa, Florida
TV Channel: USA Network (USA); SN360, TVAS3 (Canada); SUN (Tampa); Fox Sports Ohio (Columbus)
Live Stream: Fubo.tv (subscription required, but you get a free trial), USA Network
There’s a lot on the line for both teams. The Lightning are looking to complete a dream season and break the Presidents’ Trophy curse. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets are under pressure because they mortgaged a good portion of their future at the trade deadline.
For more 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage, be sure to check out our Stanley Cup Playoffs page.