During their previous three games, the Lightning played high-level defensive hockey, allowing a total of three goals. But in this matchup against Columbus, they laid an egg defensively. Fortunately, they created enough offensively to get the game to overtime. As a result, they bring home three out of a possible four points on the road trip.
Columbus has proven to be a dynamic offensive team this year. The Blue Jackets have now netted at least six goals in six of their opening 19 games. They bring a lot of up-ice pressure and funnel pucks to the opposition net. The final statistical numbers in this game are ugly for the Lightning. They allowed seven goals, 43 shots, and 92 shot attempts. They struggled to make plays out of the defensive zone, which allowed Columbus to enjoy extended offensive-zone shifts. They weren’t sharp in their coverage, so the Blue Jackets created numerous looks from dangerous areas of the ice. The Lightning were loose in their rush coverage, yielding multiple odd-man chances. Jonas Johansson allowed those seven goals, but he was one of the main reasons the Lightning salvaged a point out of the game. He denied a plethora of high-danger chances.
Columbus has its own defensive issues in the game, of course. The Lightning also had extended shifts in the offensive zone. They also generated scoring chances. They also scored plenty of goals. But the Blue Jackets applied more pressure throughout the night.
There were some memorable individual moments for three Tampa Bay players. Cam Atkinson scored his first goal with the Lightning, recording his second-career tally against his former team. His four brothers were in attendance to see him do it. Nikita Kucherov had three assists and eclipsed 900 career points in the process. Gage Goncalves registered his first career point, assisting on Conor Geekie’s third-period power-play goal.
The Lightning netted two critical tying goals. After surrendering leads of 3-0 and 4-3, they found themselves trailing twice in the final 35 minutes of the game. On each occasion, they scored the equalizer less than a minute after falling behind.
This sort of poor defensive play is not a formula for success. But at least on this night, they were able to add a point to their season total. Certainly, they’ll look to return to their stingier ways when they host Dallas on Saturday.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game:
- Zach Werenski — Blue Jackets. Two goals and three assists.
- Sean Monahan — Blue Jackets. Goal and three assists.
- Kent Johnson — Blue Jackets. PPG and SHG.
