After two consecutive losses in New York, the Tampa Bay Lightning rebounded and earned a hard-fought 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.
The Lightning kept Columbus in check for most of the game and had a 3-0 lead in the third period until the 12:22 mark when Boone Jenner cut the Lightning lead to 3-1.
Jenner would score again at the 15:50 mark to make it 3-2.
The Blue Jackets would dominate the second half of the third period, but a Brandon Hagel empty-netter would put the Lightning up 4-2, which would be the final.
Andrei Vasilevskiy Gets Better With Every Game
Andrei Vasilevskiy was sharp throughout, making 33 saves despite the two Boone Jenner goals, and he continues to get better every time he gets out. If the Lightning are to go on a deep playoff run, they need Vasilevskiy to play at a high level.
Nick Paul got the Lightning on the board early in this as he gave the Bolts an early 1-0 lead. Anthony Cirelli and Steven Stamkos also got on the scoresheet for the Lightning.
Although the Bolts built a 3-0 lead, they let Columbus back in the game late in the third period. Jon Cooper was asked if he was disappointed in the effort in the third period.
“It’s hard to win in this league and when you walk into an NHL building and come away with two points you take those and move on to the next game. You can pick apart any game you want but the bottom line is we needed these points, we got them and let’s move on.”
Mikhail Sergachev Out For The Season
It has been a tough road trip for the Lightning as they lost defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to a broken leg in the game against the New York Rangers, and he will be out for the rest of the season.
The official diagnosis is a fractured tibia and fibula in his lower left leg. Depending on how far the Lightning advance in the playoffs, there is a possibility that Sergachev could return in the postseason.
Sergachev was returning to the lineup after missing 17 games with a foot injury after taking a puck off the foot in a game against St. Louis before Christmas.
Calvin De Haan will take the place of Sergachev in the lineup in the short term as the third defenseman on the left side, behind Victor Hedman and rookie Emil Lilleberg.
With the trade deadline less than a month away, the Lightning will be in the market for another defenseman.
Lightning Continue To Fight Through Adversity
Nothing is ever easy for this Lightning team. Steven Stamkos missed most of the regular season when the Bolts won the Stanley Cup in 2020. The following season, Nikita Kucherov missed 56 games but came back in time for the playoffs.
The Bolts have stayed in the playoff race this season despite missing Andrei Vasilevskiy for the first two months.
Right before the All-Star break, when the Lightning were one of the hottest teams in the league, winning eight of nine, the Bolts were down Erik Cernak, Sergachev, and Tanner Jeannot.
So, this team is used to adversity, playing without some key players at times and still finding a way to win.
Jon Cooper talked about the injuries and the Lightning team’s mindset. “This group has been together for a long time. Injuries and adversity is going to happen. It seems like it’s happening in a large way with us at times, and especially right now. But the guys don’t hang their head. It’s just of next man up, and I know that’s a cliche, but they’ve kind of taken that upon themselves.”
With the win, the Lightning moved back into third place in the division with 61 points. The Lightning will wrap up the road trip Tuesday night in Boston with a game against the Bruins.