TURNOVERS COST BLUE JACKETS IN LOSS TO LIGHTNING
COLUMBUS — Two turnovers were the difference between what coach John Tortorella called one of the Blue Jackets’ best periods of the season and a death knell against the best team in the NHL on Monday night.
Twice, Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov, the league’s points leader, raced ahead of the defense after a turnover, went to his backhand and beat goaltender Joonas Korpisalo after the Blue Jackets were in control for much of the first period.
By the time the Light- ning had a 3-0 lead entering the third period, the Jackets had played well enough that a comeback didn’t seem impossible. Then — twice — Tampa Bay center Brayden Point scored in the first min- ute of the period to cap the Blue Jackets’ 5-1 loss at Nationwide Arena. “Those two quick goals in the third, that can’t happen,” forward Lukas Sedlak said. “Those two goals decided the game. We felt good after the second (period) coming into the third.”
The Jackets outshot Tampa Bay 19-6 in the first period, only to bow out with another
blowout loss. The Blue Jack- ets went 0-3 and were outscored 17-3 in the season series against the Lightning.
Sedlak scored with 1:45 remaining for the Jackets’ lone tally.
“I’m really frustrated. I’m frustrated forthe team,” Tortorella said.
The Jackets played all but six-plus minutes of the game with five defensemen. Ryan Murray had just five shifts before he left in the first period with an upper- body injury.
The Jackets had the clear advantage early, snapping off numerous high-danger scoring chances on goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. After seven unanswered shots on goal, Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev collected a turnover by Pierre-Luc Dubois and fired the puck off
the boards to Yanni Gourde at the Jackets’ blue line.
Gourde landed the puck in front of Kucherov, who beat Seth Jones on the rush and flipped it into the top shelf with 8:42 remaining in the first period.
Three minutes later, Nick Foligno lost the puck near the Lightning blue line and it was poked back to the Jackets’ own zone, where Kucherov picked it up. Kucherov easily sped past Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski and beat Korpisalo through the five-hole.
“Not crazy about Nick’s turnover again,” Tortorella said. “You just can’t lose your patience in a game like that where you’re down 2-0 after the way you play, so you still just got to stay with it. Very frustrated with that play.” Twice in the second period, the Jackets were called for questionable penalties that led to a goal.
At 1:41 left in the period, Josh Anderson received the puck near the Lightning blue line and flew in from the right wing toward the net. He tried to get around defenseman Braydon Coburn — who appeared to push Anderson — rammed into Vasilevskiy and was called for interference.
Then a minute later, the Jackets were called for too many men. Four seconds into the 5-on-3, Steven Stamkos ripped his signature slap shot from the left circle to beat Korpisalo.