Depleted Lightning See Point Streak Snapped at Hands of Jackets in Track Meet

Riley Gillespie-Wilson | Thunderstruck Sports

Graphic Credit: Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports

For about a month now, it seems almost everything has been going the Tampa Bay Lightning's way. They have boasted an incredible record over that span. However, their 15-game point streak finally came to an end Saturday night in Columbus. Nikita Kucherov posted another multi-point effort. It was Mason Marchment and his Blue Jackets, though, who overshadowed 'Kuch' in this one, posting eight goals in a wild one. Columbus took the contest 8-5.

The pace to the first period was strikingly different than the Lightning's previous game, a tightly contested 2-1 win.

In the Chicago game, real-estate wasn't given easily, and Grade A chances were difficult to come by. Not the case in this one. The first period? Quite honestly a track meet, and overall a sloppy effort from the Bolts.

Jackets Strike First

It was the home Blue Jackets on the board first. A Nikita Kucherov turnover in neutral ice proved costly. His cross-ice feed was picked off, and Columbus quickly capitalized.

Cole Sillinger found some room and beat the Lightning's starting goaltender for the evening, Jonas Johansson.

A Gift Helps Bolts Draw Even

The next tally on the board belonged to Jake Guentzel, though it was truly a blunder from the Jackets' netminder Jet Greaves that made it happen.

His pass ricocheted off the skate of a teammate in front, and wound up behind him. Tampa Bay would take it, and it was a 1-1 hockey game.

Columbus Quick to Respond to Gaffe

The Blue Jackets were undeterred by the mistake.

Mason Marchment began to blow the game open to its eventual score of 4-2 Blue Jackets after one.

This one was the benefit of a screened Johansson. Marchment's marker made it 2-1.

Track Meet In Full Swing

Tampa responded with a goal on their first power play of the evening. Darren Raddysh continued to light up the scoreboard with his 13th of the season.

It came on a one-time blast that overpowered Greaves.

From there, this period got messy. Already a 2-2 game, the Lightning began to do everything they hadn't been doing throughout this 15-game run, in which they were 14-0-1. They were loose defensively, turning pucks over and paying the price.

To make matters worse for the Bolts, Erik Cernak took a tough hit from Mathieu Olivier from behind and was slow to leave the ice.

On the scoreboard, Columbus made Tampa Bay pay twice, including a tough goal to give up with just twelve seconds left in the opening period.

Adam Fantilli and Dmitry Voronkov both scored.

It was 4-2 Blue Jackets after 20 minutes, and the Lightning needed a big response in this second half of a back-to-back as period number two began.

Pleasant Beginning to Second Frame

Tampa Bay managed to tie the game in less than five minutes to start the second period. The two goals, as a matter of fact came 1:29 apart for the Bolts.

First, it was a slick play from Brandon Hagel to set up Nikita Kucherov who made no mistake. Hagel was sprawling across the ice and still managed to get the puck to 86. That usually doesn't end well for goaltenders, and this odd-man rush was no different for Greaves.

Next up to light the lamp for the Lightning was Anthony Cirelli. A 3-on-1 developed for the Bolts, and Cirelli finished it off.

Just like that, it was a tie, 4-4 hockey game.

Lead Stretched Out Once More

Were the Lightning to take this one home, they would need seven goals to do it by the end of this stanza. Columbus struck twice more to make it 6-4 before the end of 40.

Charlie Coyle nabbed his 200th career goal on the sixth Jacket marker of the evening. He responded well to a Johansson poke-check and beat him from the side of the cage. The other goal-scorer for the Blue Jackets was Marchment, who had begun having himself a productive tilt.

Lightning Draw Blanks in Third Despite Push

Late in the game, when Johansson was called to the Bolts' bench, Tampa Bay had outshot Columbus 9-1 in the third.

They also hit the goalpost courtesy of JJ Moser, before ringing iron again when Johansson was pulled. That one came off the stick of Raddysh.

Nonetheless Tampa couldn't buy one to chip away at the deficit. The Jackets added an empty netter, and Jake Guentzel managed to get one back very late, with just over a minute left. That tally made it a 7-5 Columbus lead.

Marchment was able to complete the hat-trick with another empty-netter after that goal. 8-5 Blue Jackets was the final in a crazy one.

Injury Roundup

Erik Cernak did not return to the game after the hit from Olivier. To make matters worse, an awkward collision for Charle-Eduard D'Astous forced him out of the game for a Lightning team already missing Cernak and Gage Goncalves, who also didn't return.

All in all a tough game for an eventually-shorthanded Bolts crew skating in the second half of a back-to-back. Their point streak was stalled at 15 games, an incredible run for this Lightning group.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Mason Marchment (CBJ)

2. Adam Fantilli (CBJ)

3. Nikita Kucherov (TBL)

Up Next

The Lightning finally head home for a chunk beginning with a game against the Utah Mammoth at 7 p.m. Monday night at Benchmark International Arena. They then host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.