Tampa Bay Lightning Win Game Three

The Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in game three. Lightning now have a 2-1 series lead.

First Period

It did not take long for Patrick Maroon to set a physical tone for the game. After Blue Jackets’ goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made a save, Maroon took a penalty after roughing up Dean Kukan. That gave the Blue Jackets an early power play just two and a half minutes into the game. They failed to capitalize on the power play and managed just one shot.

At 12:53, Zach Bogosian took a tripping penalty on Oliver Bjorkstrand and put the Blue Jackets back on the power-play. While killing the penalty, Blake Coleman took a slashing penalty on Alexandre Texier. This allowed the Blue Jackets to have a five on three for a two-man advantage for almost a minute and a half. The Blue Jackets were only able to get three shots during the five on three and a total of six on the combined power plays. They are now 0/3 on the power-play with seven shots.

After spending a lot of time defending, the Lightning scored the game’s first goal. The goal came with just over four minutes left in the period by Alex Killorn. The assists on the goal go to Anthony Cirelli and Bogosian.

Stats:

Shots: 10 – 8 for the Blue Jackets
Hits: 10 – 6 for the Lightning
Faceoff Percentage: 63% – 37% for the Blue Jackets
Score: 1 – 0 Lightning

Second Period

Just two minutes into the period, the Blue Jackets tie the game with a goal by Riley Nash. The lone assist goes to Gustav Nyquist. Shortly after the tying goal, the Blue Jackets would get their fourth power-play opportunity. Victor Hedman was called for hooking on Nyquist. The power play would once again be a wasted opportunity for the Blue Jackets. They did not even manage a shot on that power play.

At 14:08 the Lightning would get their first power play of the game. Alexander Wennberg was called for holding against Killorn. The Lightning did not score with the man advantage and had just two shots. They would score to take the lead with under six minutes left. Brayden Point got the goal and it is his fourth goal and seventh point of these playoffs. The assists go to Ryan McDonagh and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning would add to their lead with a goal from Hedman with just over a minute left in the period. The assists go to Carter Verhaeghe and Cedric Paquette.

Stats:

Shots: 24 – 14 for the Blue Jackets
Hits: 22 – 12 for the Lightning
Faceoff Percentage: 54% – 46% for the Blue Jackets
Score: 3 – 1 Lightning

Third Period

Just like in the second period, the Blue Jackets scored early. Eric Robinson scored just 1:37 into the period. The goal was assisted by Wennberg and Nyquist. Unfortunately for the Blue Jackets, they did not muster up much of anything after the Robinson goal. They managed just two shots on net after the goal.

Late in the period and still trailing 3-2, the Blue Jackets pulled the goaltender for an extra attacker with 1:34 left in the game. The Lightning tried twice to score on the empty net but hit the post both times. No tying goal would come for the Blue Jackets, and the Lightning won the game 3-2.

Stats:

Shots: 34 – 17 for the Blue Jackets
Hits: 35 – 19 for the Lightning
Faceoff Percentage: 54% – 46% for the Blue Jackets
Final Score: 3 – 2 Lightning

Final Thoughts on Game Three

The one thing that stood out for me, was the fatigue of the Blue Jackets players. At times they looked slow, and it showed by how many shots on the net the Lightning players were able to produce. If the Blue Jackets can not find a way to fight off their fatigue, the Lightning will easily win this series.

Fans can watch Game Four on Monday, August 17th at 3pm EST

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