The Lightning need help on their blueline and have an intriguing target worth considering from the Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets will be without Sean Monahan due to a wrist injury and it has reinforced their need for scoring at the trade deadline.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak will miss Saturday's game against the Detroit Red Wings due to an undisclosed injury. He left Thursday's matchup against Anaheim after just 34 seconds of ice time after sustaining the injury.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are making a strong bid to get back to the playoffs and even if that push falls short, it’s easy to believe this version of the club is just beginning to rise.

The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to fight for a playoff spot despite the low expectations for the team entering the season and it appears they are about to get a boost.

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With 50 games down, Columbus is in the mix for a postseason berth, and the Jackets say they're embracing the challenge

Columbus took a 1-0 lead at 7:08 of the first period. After the Blue Jackets forced a turnover, Luca Del Bel Belluz fed a pass to Johnson, who scored five-hole from the left faceoff circle. Kirill Marchenko made it 2-0 at 9:48 when he took a cross-ice backhand pass from Adam Fantilli and roofed a shot over Andersen’s glove.

The Blue Jackets sat a point back of both Eastern Conference wild-card berths with a 22-18-7 record heading into Wednesday's action.

The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets after Matthew Knies' two-goal game against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Maple Leafs' 5-3 win

The Blue Jackets are not going to sell at the upcoming NHL trade deadline, including on pending free agents like Ivan Provorov.