Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019: Tampa Bay Lightning falls apart in 4-3 Game 1 loss

The Tampa Bay Lightning started off strong but seemed to fall apart in the second and third periods, ultimately falling 4-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning had one heck of a regular season, filled with franchise and league records alike. Tonight, the accomplishments of the past fade to black. Well…at least for now. The Lightning charged into the Amalie Arena to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 1 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Everyone in the Amalie Arena and around the Bolts Nation had chills by the time the puck dropped to start tonight’s postseason battle. Judging by the opening minutes of the game, the tension on the ice rivaled the excitement in the stands.

Less than three minutes into the game, Lightning defenseman Dan Girardi and Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky went hard at one another. It didn’t take long before Cedric Paquette and other players were in the mix. Regrettably for the Bolts, they would be the ones on the Penalty Kill when all was said and done.

Girardi would get two minutes for Illegal Check to the Head of Dubinsky and two minutes for Roughing. On the other side of the ice, Dubinsky sat in the sin bin for two minutes for Roughing. Funny enough, it was the Lightning, not the Blue Jackets who would capitalize on the opportunity.

Alex Killorn got control of the puck along the blueline in the Lightning’s defensive zone. Killer wasted no time in charging to the other side of the ice. He pulled back his stick and fired the puck at Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and before he ever knew what hit him, the goal horn was sounding.

Just past the halfway point in the period, Lightning would strike once again. This time, it would be Anthony Cirelli who would pick up his first goal of the postseason to give the Bolts a 2-0 lead over the Blue Jackets. The assists on the Cirelli goal would go to Erik Cernak and J.T. Miller.

Things were definitely looking good for the Lightning. The crazy part is, things were about to get even better. With just over two minutes left in the period, Yanni Gourde would pick up his first goal of the postseason to give the Lightning a 3-0 lead over the Blue Jackets.

The Lightning would finish off the first 20 minutes of play on the Power Play as Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard would make his way to the box for two minutes for Interference against Yanni Gourde.

The Lightning defense did a tremendous job of keeping the Blue Jackets at bay in the first period. The Bolts outshot the Blue Jackets 6-13 in the first 20 minutes of play. At the same time, the Blue Jackets held a strong hold on the faceoff circle, outperforming the Bolts 56-44.

The Bolts had a tremendous scoring opportunity in the opening minute of the 2nd period, but Bobrovsky would make the save. The Lightning continued to keep the pressure on the Blue Jackets, but the Bolts couldn’t convert on the man advantage.

It would be the Columbus Blue Jackets would strike first in the second period. Nick Foligno would score his first of the postseason at 9:15 in the period to get the Blue Jackets on the board. The lone assist on the play would go to forward Josh Anderson.

The Blue Jackets made up a lot of ground in terms of shots on goal in the first half of the second period. The Blue Jackets would outshoot the Bolts 8-5 in the first half of the second period. This was more than likely a contributing factor to the Foligno goal.

The Lightning had some really good scoring chances towards the end of the second period, but the Blue Jackets controlled the narrative for much of the period. Both teams brought 11 shots on goal in the second period for a two-period total of 17-24 in favor of the Bolts.

The dynamic in the faceoff circle shifted a little bit in the second. Whereas the Blue Jackets controlled the faceoff circle 56-44 in the first, the Lightning shifted things a bit going 49-51 through two.

Given what we know about Blue Jackets Head Coach John Tortorella, we have a feeling he gave his team one of those trash can-kicking style rants during the first intermission. The team we saw in the second was in stark contrast to the team the Lightning faced in the first. They were more alert, aggressive with the puck, and well…there’s always Sergei Bobrovsky.

The 30-year-old Blue Jackets netminder allowed three goals in the first period only to prevent the Lightning from sinking a single puck in the second. We’re not sure where he channeled his second-period mojo from, but we’d definitely like to cut off his supply moving forward.

Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov found themselves on the same line to start off the third period. Needless to say, this is one heck of a dangerous combination. We’re still not sure how Bobrovsky was able to make the save on their first attempt, but alas, he did indeed make the stop.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has played stellar for most of the game, found himself with his hands in the air in the early moments of the third period. David Savard would pick up his first goal of the postseason to bring the Blue Jackets within one of the Lightning.

Unfortunately, the bleeding didn’t exactly stop with the Savard goal. The Lightning would find themselves with a four-minute man advantage after Dubinsky headed to the box for four minutes for High Sticking against Cedric Paquette. Much like the Lightning in the first period, the Blue Jackets would score shorthanded with a goal from Josh Anderson to tie the game at three goals each.

Just when Tampa Bay Lightning fans thought things couldn’t get any more frustrating, well…they did. At 14:05 in the third period, while on a Power Play, Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones scored his first goal of the postseason to seize the lead for the Blue Jackets.

It became evidently clear the Lightning was going to have to work twice as hard to get back into the game before the final buzzer sounded. As the final minutes ticked off the clock, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper elected to pull Andrei Vasilevskiy in order to get an extra attacker on the ice.

There are usually only two ways this situation plays out. Either the team will score a goal and force an overtime period (or someone get in front and win the game) or they will unceremoniously hand their opponent an empty-net goal otherwise known as the final nail in the coffin.

While the Lightning was able to prevent the latter from happening, they were also unable to capitalize on the extra skater. When the final buzzer sounded, the Blue Jackets would pick up a 4-3 Game 1 victory over the Lightning.

It is worth noting, the Columbus Blue Jackets scored more goals in the second and third periods of Game 1 than they did the entire regular season series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Given the way the Lightning has played this season, that’s really saying something.

The Lightning started out the game incredibly strong, going up 3-0 in the first 20 minutes of play. Whether the Lightning got too comfortable in their lead and let their feet off the gas or the Blue Jackets simply outplayed the Bolts in the final two periods of play, the result is the same. The Blue Jackets lead the series 1-0.

This is definitely not the position the Lightning hoped to find themselves in to start off the series, but this series is far from over. There is still plenty of hockey left to play in this series, but the Bolts will need to quickly refocus their efforts and prepare for Game 2.

The Lightning and Blue Jackets will have tomorrow to prepare for the next game in the series. On Friday evening, both teams will make their way back into the Amalie Arena for Game 2. The Bolts definitely have some work to do in between now and then if they want to tie the series before it heads to Columbus.

The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Tampa Bay Lightning is down at the moment, but they are far from out. It will be interesting to see how the Lightning responds when they hit the ice for Game 2. There’s no denying this is going to be an exciting series filled with its fair share of ups and downs.