Lightning swept out of postseason

The Lightning ended up on the wrong side of NHL history, getting swept in the first round of the playoffs after one of the best regular seasons ever.

The Blue Jackets capped a stunning sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy winners with a 7-3 victory Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio.

The Lightning became the first team in the expansion era, which began in 1967-68, to go winless in the first round of the playoffs after leading the league in points during the regular season.

And what a season it was. The Lightning tied the NHL record for wins with 62 and had 128 points, fourth in NHL history.

The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, didn’t clinch the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot until the 81st game. But they outplayed the Lightning with a smothering forecheck and stellar goaltending by Sergei Bobrovsky.

Rookie Alexandre Texier, who joined the Blue Jackets after his Finnish league season ended, scored his first NHL goal Tuesday and later added an empty-netter. Punch makes impact: Hurricanes rookie Andrei Svechnikov is in the concussion protocol after Capitals star Alex Ovechkin punched him, sending his head crashing onto the ice.

Coach Rod Brind’Amour said Tuesday that he assumes Svechnikov, who was wearing a helmet, will miss Game 4 of the first-round series Thursday night. He added he’s “going to be real careful” and is “certainly not going to rush him back.”

The two Russians fought with 9:01 left in the first period of the Hurricanes’ 5-0 win in Game 3 on Monday night.

In the first playoff fight of his 14-year career, Ovechkin floored Svechnikov with a right hook that left the 19-year-old wobbly and in need of help getting to the dressing room.

Brind’Amour said Svechnikov was evaluated at a hospital and “looks normal and said he feels great.”

Hurricanes forward Micheal Ferland also left Monday’s game with an upper-body injury, but Brind’Amour wouldn’t comment on his availability for Game 4.