Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
(Columbus leads the series 3-0)
Game 4 Recap:
The Tampa Bay Lightning, clinging onto life in the series, would be called with an early slashing penalty just 45 seconds into the period. On that power play, Columbus would strike with a goal by Alexandre Texier, his first in the postseason. Pierre-Luc Dubois would make the game a 2-0 game just a minute later and then at the 8:44 mark, Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos would make it 2-1 contest. At the 11:41 mark, Lightning F Nikita Kucherov would be called for a tripping penalty and it was thought that Cam Atkinson would make it a 3-1 contest before Tampa Bay would challenge the goal. The challenge would turn out to be successful, as the Blue Jackets would be called offsides, with 7:37 left in the period. Columbus would try several more times to get the lead back to two goals, but Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy would make several saves. Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky would make great saves as well and has played a great first 20 minutes, despite allowing the goal by Stamkos.
The play in the second period would start out slow but both teams would get several shots off. Blue Jackets D Seth Jones make the score 3-1 with his second goal of the series at the 6:28 mark in the period, with Cam Atkinson and Matt Duchene registering their second and fourth assists, respectively, in the postseason. Tampa Bay would get great looks and shots, but Bobrovsky would do everything he could to turn aside all the shots he faced, especially a great rebound shot from Brayden Point. However, that shot would go wide from the net as well. Tampa Bay has been fighting to stay alive not only in the period, but in this contest as well. The Lightning in the next thirty minutes of the contest need to have more of their top players producing. Cedric Paquette would bring the Lightning back to within a goal with his first goal of the postseason when the puck would bounce off the top of the crossbar and into the back of the net. The Tampa Bay Lightning would tie the game at 3 when Brayden Point would score a power play goal, off of the David Savard penalty for Cross-checking. Columbus would take back the lead with Oliver Bjorkstrand’s second goal of the playoffs just a minute after Point’s goal.
The third period in the contest would contain a few chances for both teams and there would be a lot of hacking and whacking for control of the puck around the boards for possession of the puck. Five minutes into the period, Anthony Cirelli of the Lightning would breakdown the ice before losing possession of the puck and Tampa would regain possession but it would not be enough as Columbus would regain puck possession. Throughout the first seven minutes of the third period, there would be a lot of turnovers due to the high action of plays going on from both teams. In the final five minutes, Artemi Panarin had a great chance to make it a 5-3 Columbus game but the shot would miss the net by a couple of feet and then Tampa Bay would come racing down the ice to try and make it a 4-4 game but Bobrovsky would freeze the puck and we get the whistle stop play with 3:58 left in the period. Tampa Bay would pull Vasilevskiy with 2:10 left in the period to give the Lightning an extra skater but that would prove to be costly as Artemi Panarin would score the empty netter to give the Columbus a 5-3 lead with 1:53 left in the contest. 19 seconds later, Alexandre Texier would score an empty netter to seal the win for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matt Duchene would score the third empty net goal with nine seconds left to give Columbus the 7-3 win over the Lightning.
The Columbus Blue Jackets win their first playoff series, sweeping the Lightning, and now await the winner of the Toronto Maple Leafs v. Boston Bruins.
With the loss by the Tampa Bay Lightning, they become the first team in NHL history to win the Presidents’ Trophy AND get swept in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning Lines and Defensive Pairings:
Steven Stamkos-Anthony Cirelli-Nikita Kucherov
Ondrej Palat-Brayden Point-Tyler Johnson
Mathieu Joseph-Cedric Paquette-J.T. Miller
Alex Killorn-Yanni Gourde-Ryan Callahan
Ryan McDonagh-Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev-Dan Girardi
Brayden Coburn-Jan Ruuta
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Louis Domingue
Injured: Victor Hedman (Upper Body), Anton Stralman (Lower Body)
Scratched: Cameron Gaunce, Adam Erne, Danick Martel
Columbus Blue Jackets Lines and Defensive Pairings:
Artemi Panarin-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Oliver Bjorkstrand
Ryan Dzingel-Matt Duchene-Cam Atkinson
Alexandre Texier-Nick Foligno-Josh Anderson
Brandon Dubinsky-Boone Jenner-Riley Nash
Zach-Werenski-Seth Jones
Dean Kukan-David Savard
Adam Clendening-Scott Harrington
Sergei Bobrovsky
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratches: Markus Hannikainen , Lukas Sedlak , Eric Robinson, Alexander Wennberg, Zac Dalpe, Markus Nutivaara (questionable), Adam McQuaid (injured), Andrew Peeke, Vladislav Gavrikov; Keith Kinkaid, Elvis Merzlikins
First Period:
Tampa Bay Penalty: Ryan McDonagh for Slashing — 2 min minor — :45
Columbus PPG: Alexandre Texier (1) assisted by Seth Jones (2) and Pierre-Luc DuBois (1) — 2:26
Columbus Goal: Pierre-Luc DuBois (1) assisted by Oliver Bjorkstrand (2) and Adam Clendening (1) — 3:48
Tampa Bay Goal: Steven Stamkos (1) assisted by Nikita Kucherov (1) and Anthony Cirelli (1) — 8:44
Tampa Bay Penalty: Nikita Kucherov for Tripping — 2 min minor — 11:18
Tampa Bay Challenge on Cam Atkinson Goal is Successful (score remains 2-1) — 12:23
End of 1st – TBL– 1 CLB– 2
Shots 07 08
Faceoffs 10 09
Hits 13 10
PP 0/0 1/2
Second Period:
Columbus Goal: Seth Jones (2) assisted by Cam Atkinson (2) and Matt Duchene (1) — 6:28
Tampa Bay Goal: Cedric Paquette (1) assisted by Braydon Coburn (1) — 13:03
Columbus Penalty: David Savard for Cross-checking — 2 min minor — 16:43
Tampa Bay PPG: Brayden Point (1) assisted by Steven Stamkos (1) and Nikita Kucherov (2) — 17:52
Columbus Goal: Oliver Bjorkstand (2) assisted by Scott Harrington (2) and Pierre-Luc Dubois (2) — 18:46
End of 2nd– TBL– 3 CLB– 4
Shots 20 20
Faceoffs 19 19
Hits 21 17
PP 1/1 1/2
Third Period:
Columbus ENG: Artemi Panarin (2) unassisted — 18:07
Columbus ENG: Alexandre Texier (2) assisted by Zach Werenski — 18:26
Columbus ENG: Matt Duchene (3) assisted by David Savard (1) and Scott Harrington (3) — 19:51
End of 3rd– TBL– 3 CLB– 7
Shots 33 25
Faceoffs 29 24
Hits 32 30
PP 1/1 1/2
Three Stars of the Game:
First Star: Columbus F Alexandre Texier (2 goals)
Second Star: Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky (30 saves)
Third Star: Seth Jones (goal)
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