Lightning vs Blues Game day #45

The Tampa Bay Lightning continue their lengthy road trip into St.Louis to take on the Blues, Friday January 16th,2026 at 7:00 PM. This marks the last time that the bolts will matchup against the Blues this season. The Lightning look to extend their winning streak to 12 games , and the Blues look to continue their winning ways of 2 games in a row.

The Lightning and Blues last played each other on December 22nd in Tampa Bay where the Lightning won the game 4-1. From remembering this game, The Lightning had an electric start with a 2-0 lead in the first period of the game. This game was also what sparked the current winning streak that the Lightning are currently on and look to extend tonight against the Blues on the road.

However there are several changes to both teams since the last matchup back in December. The Lightning will be without superstar Brayden Point who is out week-week with a lower body injury, Ryan Mcdonagh is on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Brandon Hagel who didn’t play in the first contest due to a concussion will play in this game. The Blues will be without superstar Robert Thomas who is not expected to play with a lower body injury.

It is expected that Andrei Vasilevskiy will be in net for the Lightning, and Joel Hofer will get the start for the Blues. Coming into this game, Andrei Vasilevskiy is 19-7 with a 91.5 save percentage and a 2.27 goals against average. Joel Hofer on the other hand is 10-9 with 90.2 save percentage and a 2.81 goals against average, This will be an interesting test for the Lightning since they will be facing a different goaltender then in their previous matchup with the Blues. In that matchup , the Tampa Bay Lightning had faced Jordan Binnington.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to extend their winning streak to 12 games tonight in St. Louis. We will have to wait and see if they come out victorious and stay on top of the Atlantic Division.