Blue Jackets Vs Lightning sets Women in Sports Night spotlight in Tampa

blue jackets vs lightning is set for Tuesday, March 10 at 7: 00 p. m. ET, with Tampa Bay back on home ice at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. The game doubles as Women in Sports Night and opens a three-game home stand for the Lightning, while the matchup arrives with a clear short-term storyline: Tampa Bay is still looking for its first win against Columbus this season.

Benchmark International Arena hosts Blue Jackets Vs Lightning at 7: 00 p. m. ET

The Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets meet on March 10, 2026, starting at 7: 00 p. m. ET at Benchmark International Arena. Tampa Bay enters with 82 points and Columbus with 74 points, positioning the game as a points-relevant matchup inside the Eastern Conference standings described in the context.

For Tampa Bay, the setting also matters because it is the kickoff of a three-game stand at home. The next dates on that run are listed as Thursday, March 12 versus the Detroit Red Wings and Saturday, March 14 versus the Carolina Hurricanes, before the Lightning travel for Tuesday, March 17 at the Seattle Kraken. That schedule framing turns Tuesday’s result into an early signal for how the home stand could develop.

Women in Sports Night adds an event overlay to an already defined competitive angle. While the context does not detail what the theme night includes, it does confirm the designation and the timing, which makes the game a focal point in Tampa Bay’s home calendar rather than a routine midseason stop.

Tampa Bay Lightning chase a first win versus Columbus Blue Jackets in 2025-26

The most concrete short-term trend in the context is Tampa Bay’s current season record against Columbus: 0-2-0 versus the Blue Jackets so far in 2025-26. Tuesday is described as Tampa Bay’s lone home game against Columbus, raising the stakes for a team still seeking its first win in the season series.

Specific performance snapshots in the context underline why the matchup can pivot on a few key players. Tampa Bay’s listed offensive leaders against Columbus this season are Jake Guentzel (2-2—4), Anthony Cirelli (2-2—4), and Nikita Kucherov (1-3—4). The context also points to goaltending splits that could influence the direction of the game: Jonas Johansson is 0-2-0 against Columbus this season with an. 850 save percentage, while Andrei Vasilevskiy has a much deeper career record against Columbus at 17-4-0 with a. 927 save percentage and three shutouts.

Longer-run history in the context cuts in Tampa Bay’s favor, especially at home: the Lightning hold a 35-17-2 all-time record versus the Blue Jackets, including a 21-5-0 record on home ice. That contrast—a season-series deficit against an opponent they have historically handled in Tampa—creates a measurable tension line for where this matchup could be heading.

The individual trend lines also run deep. Kucherov is identified as the franchise career leader in scoring against Columbus with 15-36—51 in 31 games, with Victor Hedman listed next among active players at 6-27—33 in 42 games. Those totals do not determine Tuesday’s outcome, but they do show which players have repeatedly generated offense in this specific matchup.

Rick Bowness, projected lines, and viewing options shape the pregame signals

On the Columbus side, the context provides a projected lineup with the caveat that the lines are subject to change. Head coach Rick Bowness said there may be other changes, and the projection is based on the prior night’s game. The listed forward groups are: Mason Marchment–Adam Fantilli–Kirill Marchenko; Kent Johnson–Sean Monahan–Conor Garland; Cole Sillinger–Charlie Coyle–Mathieu Olivier; and Isac Lundeström–Boone Jenner–Miles Wood.

The scratches and injuries list in the context gives additional clues about availability. Danton Heinen, Egor Zamula, and Dmitri Voronkov are listed as healthy scratches, while Erik Gudbranson is listed as injured in the projected lineup report and also appears separately as day-to-day with an upper-body designation. The context also states Brendan Smith has a lower-body issue, missed 25 games, is on IR, and is out for the rest of the regular season. Those notes do not explain how Columbus will adjust, but they do confirm constraints shaping selection decisions.

Tampa Bay’s pregame view includes lines carried over from Sunday’s game, also described as subject to change. The listed forward units are Jake Guentzel–Brayden Point–Pontus Holmberg; Brandon Hagel–Anthony Cirelli–Nikita Kucherov; Oliver Bjorkstrand–Yanni Gourde–Zemgus Girgensons; and Corey Perry–Conor Geekie–Scott Sabourin. On defense, the context lists JJ Moser–Darren Raddysh, Ryan McDonagh–Charle-Edouard D’Astous, and also includes Erik Cernak and Victor Hedman alongside Cernak. The goaltenders listed are Jonas Johansson and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Based on context data, the pregame information environment is split across multiple viewing and listening options, depending on which guide is used:

• TV coverage is listed as The Spot – Tampa Bay 66 (check local listings).
• A separate watch listing states the game starts at 7: 00 p. m. ET on +.
• Columbus viewing is listed as FANDUEL SPORTS NETWORK, with radio on 97. 1 The Fan and Bob McElligott on play-by-play.
• Tampa Bay radio coverage is listed as 102. 5 MHz-FM and Lightning Radio 24/7.

If the current trajectory continues—Tampa Bay staying winless against Columbus in 2025-26—the context suggests the season-series narrative will sharpen quickly because this is the Lightning’s lone home game against the Blue Jackets. Should a specific factor shift—a change in goal usage from the listed options of Johansson and Vasilevskiy—the context provides a clear reason it would matter, given the gap between Johansson’s season results against Columbus and Vasilevskiy’s career record in the matchup.

The next confirmed milestone after blue jackets vs lightning is Tampa Bay’s Thursday, March 12 home game against the Detroit Red Wings. What the context does not resolve is which of the subject-to-change line combinations will actually be used at puck drop, leaving the final pregame adjustments as the key remaining variable before the 7: 00 p. m. ET start.