The Lightning put themselves in position to get points out of this game. They carried a lead into the second period and entered the final frame tied. But they allowed an early third-period tally to Kirill Marchenko and, unlike Friday night’s game in Detroit, were unable to find the tying goal. As a result, they finished the four-game road trip with four out of a possible eight points.
The circumstances for this contest weren’t favorable for the Lightning. They were playing the second half of a back-to-back against a rested opponent. They were also without Nikita Kucherov (illness) for the second consecutive night.
The Blue Jackets grabbed a lead when Kent Johnson grabbed a loose puck in the low slot and slipped a backhander past Jonas Johansson at 4:58. Then Columbus surged, dominating play for the next several minutes and generating numerous scoring chances. Thanks to Johansson, though, the deficit stayed at one.
The Lightning pushed back in the second half of the period and netted two goals. Ryan McDonagh fired a left-circle shot that hit off the glove of Jet Greaves and deflected into the net at 12:42. Then, during a late first-period power play, Jake Guentzel set up Anthony Cirelli in the low slot for a backhand goal at 16:22.
Columbus controlled the bulk of play in the second period, however. The Lightning managed to post only three shots on net and just 11 total attempts in the frame. Much of the action took place in the Tampa Bay end. Midway through the frame, the Lightning dodged a bullet when they successfully challenged a Columbus goal for being offside. But the Jackets tied the game at 13:59 with a goal off the rush—Damon Severson finished a shot from the slot just under the crossbar. Johansson finished the period with 13 saves, including two consecutive highlight-reel stops on Boone Jenner and Adam Fantilli off a three-on-one rush. Those stops came in the late stages of the period and kept the game tied at two.
The teams entered the third period deadlocked, but it didn’t stay tied for long. After Zach Werenski intercepted a centering feed deep in the Columbus end, he led the attack in the other direction. Eventually, the puck came to Marchenko, who made a nice move to get open at the inner part of the right circle. He snapped the puck past Johansson’s glove at 1:15 to give the Blue Jackets the lead back.
On Friday in Detroit, the Lightning posted 19 third-period shots and nearly 40 third-period shot attempts. They produced a high volume of scoring chances too. They managed to score the one goal they needed to at least tie the game and force overtime. In this game, once again the final frame was their highest-volume shot and shot attempt period. They finished with 15 shots and over 30 attempts. But unlike the Detroit game, Grade-A chances were harder to come by. Most of Greaves’ third-period saves came on longer-distance shots. He did deny a few in-tight looks, though, to preserve the Columbus lead.
The Lightning have a few days to rest up and get healthy before hosting Chicago on Thursday.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
Kirill Marchenko — Blue Jackets. GWG.
Zach Werenski — Blue Jackets. Assist.
Jonas Johansson — Lightning. 28 saves.