The Tampa Bay Lightning said hello to their first three-game losing streak of the season with this evening’s 3-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Lightning was the better team this evening, but they were unable to get past Elvis Merzilkins. Oliver Bjorkstrand, David Savard, and Cam Atkinson scored for Columbus. Mathieu Joseph had the lone goal for Tampa Bay. Curtis McElhinney stopped 18 of 20 shots and played exceptionally well this evening. Merzlikins stopped 37 of 38 to give Columbus some life in their hunt for a playoff spot.
1st Period
For the majority of the opening period, the Lightning dictated everything.