FINAL: Lightning 4, Blue Jackets 3 (OT)

The Blue Jackets dropped a 4-3 final vs. Tampa Bay in overtime on Sunday night at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa.

Quote of the Game

Oliver Bjorkstrand: "A point is good. I'd like to get the win. But I thought we put in some good minutes, minus the second period, but we came out of that tied 2-2. So I thought we did a lot of good things, so we have to keep building on that part and try to get a win again."

CBJ Standouts

Quick Recap

The Lightning had the push early, earning a power play before the first media timeout and nearly tallying, as Ondrej Palat missed an open net and Korpisalo stopped a shot by Ross Colton from the net front.
While the Bolts didn't score on that power play, they would take a 1-0 lead at the 11:50 mark as Palat atoned for his earlier miss by getting on the board. Brayden Point spun off of Lehtonen behind the net and passed the puck out to Palat near the right post, and the Czech forward's quick shot beat Korpisalo short side to give Tampa Bay the lead.
But Columbus quickly struck for two goals late in the period to take the lead into the locker room. Grigorenko got the first with a quick shot from the slot that got over the glove of goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy at 17:16, as he scored on a feed from Vladislav Gavrikov, who took the puck off the back wall after Lehtonen fired wide from the center point.
The Blue Jackets then took a 2-1 lead with just 31.0 seconds remaining in the period. Domi's shot tipped off Bjorkstrand and went wide of the net, but Robinson picked up the puck behind the net, got away from Yanni Gourde, came out near the right post and slipped a wraparound shot through the legs of Vasilevskiy.
While the Lightning didn't finish the first period strong, the team did come out inspired for the second period, outshooting Columbus by a 16-5 margin and tying the score in the frame. The goal came 6:09 into the period on a well-worked transition move started by a breakout pass by Palat that was tracked down by Point. The Tampa Bay standout used his speed to corral the puck and turn it into a 2-on-1, and he centered across the top of the crease to Mathieu Joseph for an easy tap-in to make it a 2-2 game.
The Lightning pushed throughout the rest of the period with Blake Coleman being denied twice on a shorthanded breakaway and Lehtonen having to clear the crease of a rebound later in the frame. Columbus' best chance came late in the period on a 2-on-1, but Nathan Gerbe took the shot and was denied by Vasilevskiy.
Columbus then jumped on the Lightning to start the third, taking a 3-2 lead in the opening minute. Domi's shot from the left side was blocked by the Bolts, but Robinson quickly jumped on the rebound and beat Vasilevskiy to the far post from the left dot.
Tampa Bay quickly tied the game at the 2:41 mark as Alex Barre-Boulet got his first NHL goal on the power play, though the bigger concern for Columbus was an injury to Korpisalo. The CBJ goalie appeared to tweak something moments before the goal, and after Barre-Boulet drove home a cross-crease pass from Palat to make it 3-3, Korpisalo immediately skated off the ice with Elvis Merzlikins having to come into the game in relief.
Columbus had a chance to take the lead with just under eight minutes to play as Tampa defenseman David Savard gifted a breakaway to Jack Roslovic with an ill-advised pass, but Vasilevsky made a pad save on the shot.
It stayed 3-3 through regulation from there, leading to overtime. That didn't take long, as Point notched his third assist, hitting the trailing Hedman for a goal from the slot past Merzlikins' blocker just 10 seconds into the extra frame.

3 Takeaways

1. A top line: The Blue Jackets actually scored goals, which was a good sign. ("Anybody that scores, we're happy with because we're struggling scoring," head coach John Tortorella deadpanned after the game.) Columbus had notched just six goals in its previous five games, but they had something working tonight with the Robinson-Domi-Bjorkstrand line, which finished not just with two goals but excellent advanced stats as well. It helped that Robinson finished a pair of chances; he always seems to create them, but it's the finishing that will determine his path down the line. "It feels really good," he said of his brace. "Scoring goals is fun so it's good to see a few go in." Domi and Bjorkstrand also t turned in excellent games, and it's fun to see Bjorkstrand still excelling despite his recent facial injury (and to see Domi getting back to his game after his recent healthy scratches).
   2. Tough luck for Korpi: It goes without saying that it was difficult to see a player get injured, but that was especially true given how well Korpisalo had been playing in the game. He turned in an excellent second period but appeared to tweak his groin ahead of Barre-Boulet's third-period equalizer. Korpisalo gamely tried to battle through but couldn't push from side to side, given the Tampa rookie an open net for his tying goal. It's unfair to speculate too far down the road, but with just six games left in the next two weeks, it will be interesting to see how things unfold, but you certainly hope he can return. On another note, how is this for bad luck -- the Blue Jackets gave up the game-winning goal Thursday moments after Merzlikins was hit with a high stick, then gave up the tying goal with this injury situation. If it weren't for bad luck, as they say...
   3. Penalties kill: Columbus' penalty kill had been impressive in the last 18 games, stopping 42 of 46 chances against (91.3 percent), and that probably was an even more impressive streak than it looks on first glance. The Blue Jackets are without many of their top penalty killers at the moment because of trades and injuries, leaving youngsters like Robinson and Texier to take on bigger roles. "We are teaching penalty killing on the fly here with our lineup," Tortorella said. "We can't take that many penalties." The Bolts finished 1-for-4 on the power play and had other chances, and the bad news is the tying goal in the third period came on a Tampa power play, albeit with the caveat of the Korpisalo injury included.

Notable

Tampa had a 34-22 edge in shots, with Korpisalo making 23 saves and Merzlikins seven. ... With two assists, Bjorkstrand extended his point streak to five (1-5-6) and leads the team with 23 assists and 38 points. … Robinson tallied for the first time since April 1 in a game played at Tampa Bay. He finished the season series with four goals against the Bolts. … Domi has eight points (2-6-8) in eight games this year against the Lightning. … The Jackets have been outscored 64-34 in the second period this season. … Columbus is 4-10 in extra time this season. ... Columbus finished the season series with a 3-3-2 record vs. the Bolts. ... Point and Palat each had three points. ... It is the fourth nine-game winless skid in CBJ franchise history, tying a team record, and first since 2014.

Roster Report

Columbus made one change to the skater line, inserting Mikhail Grigorenko for Kole Sherwood. Scratches up front were Sherwood, Kevin Stenlund and Zac Dalpe, while defensemen Gabriel Carlsson, Scott Harrington and Andrew Peeke also were out.

Up Next

Columbus heads home to play five of the next six games at home. The Blue Jackets will host Detroit on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena on Military Appreciation Night.