The Columbus Blue Jackets secured a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena, snapping a two-game skid. Kirill Marchenko's go-ahead goal at 1:15 of the third period proved decisive, while Jet Greaves made 22 saves in his first win of the season. The win improves Columbus to 2-3-0, while Tampa Bay falls to 1-3-2 with three straight losses.
Game Overview
The Blue Jackets entered the matchup needing a strong performance after a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, which coach Dean Evason called the team's worst effort of the season. Early physicality set the tone, with Boone Jenner standing up for a teammate and Mathieu Olivier dropping the gloves with Tampa Bay's 6-foot-9 Curtis Douglas, energizing the crowd.
Key Moments
Kent Johnson opened the scoring at 4:58 of the first period on his 23rd birthday, backhanding a bouncing puck past Jonas Johansson for his first goal of the season, assisted by Jenner and Adam Fantilli. Tampa Bay responded quickly: Ryan McDonagh tied it 1-1 at 12:42 with a wrist shot from the left circle that deflected off Greaves' glove and crossbar. Anthony Cirelli then gave the Lightning a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal at 16:22, backhanding a rebound from Jake Guentzel's shot off Greaves' pad.
Columbus dominated the second period, outshooting Tampa Bay 14-3. Damon Severson evened the score at 2-2 at 13:59, wristing a pass from Olivier from the high slot. Marchenko sealed the win early in the third, taking a feed from Dmitri Voronkov and wiring a wrist shot from the right face-off circle under Johansson's glove.
The Lightning pressed in the third, firing 15 shots, but Greaves stopped them all, finishing with 22 saves on 24 shots. Johansson made 28 saves on 31 shots. A post-game scrum led to minors for both teams at the 20-minute mark.
Post-Game Insights
Marchenko became the first Blue Jacket to score five goals in the team's first five games, adding six points on a four-game streak. Olivier noted the fight helped 'change the juju.' Tampa's Jon Cooper lamented the road trip struggles, while McDonagh stressed maintaining urgency throughout games. Greaves praised his team's execution, and Severson highlighted the momentum shift from his goal.
Notes include Nikita Kucherov missing a second game due to illness, Guentzel extending a 16-game point streak against Columbus, and Victor Hedman reaching 799 career NHL points.
