It was the opposite of Thursday night’s 1-0 win on Saturday, as the Columbus Blue Jackets won 8-5 over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Columbus took down the best road team in the NHL and handed them their first regulation loss since Dec. 18. With the win, the Blue Jackets improved to 24-20-7.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Rick Bowness: Back Where He Belongs Behind the Bench
Columbus is now four points behind the New York Islanders for third in the Metropolitan Division and still seven points behind the Boston Bruins for the final Wild Card spot. The Blue Jackets have won six of their last seven games, with five of those wins coming under head coach Rick Bowness. They are 5-1-0 under him.
Here are three takeaways from the 8-5 win.
Much-Needed Offensive Explosion
This game featured 13 total goals and six different goal scorers for the Blue Jackets. All four lines found the scoresheet, and the top line of Mason Marchment, Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko combined for nine points. That line logged 12:59 at five-on-five, while the fourth line still played 8:36, a clear sign of how much more evenly Bowness is rolling his lines, especially in a game with very little special teams time, with just two power plays for each team.
Charlie Coyle finished with three points with a goal and two assists. Fantilli also had three points with one goal and two assists. Cole Sillinger, Dmitri Voronkov, and Sean Monahan each scored once. Marchenko added two assists, and Zach Werenski recorded two assists as well.
Columbus outshot Tampa 31 to 30, outshooting them in the first two periods and then locking it down defensively in the third despite a late Lightning goal that did not matter.
Jet Greaves did not have his best game in goal. According to MoneyPuck, he gave up three low-danger goals, one medium-danger goal, and one high-danger goal. He faced 37 low-danger attempts, nine medium-danger attempts, and two high-danger attempts. Greaves stopped 25 of 30 shots. It was a shaky performance, but his team finally backed him up on the scoresheet after many nights this season where he has been hung out to dry.
The Werenski and Damon Severson pairing was strong offensively. They were on the ice for two goals for and 15 shots on goal for with 21 shot attempts for in 17:04 of ice time together.
Marchment Addition Paying Off
Mason Marchment continues to look like a perfect fit. He has been electric when healthy, with five goals and two assists in eight games since joining the Blue Jackets in mid-December after being traded from the Seattle Kraken.
Saturday was his best performance yet. Marchment recorded his third career hat trick and added an assist for a four-point night in 17:23 of ice time.
Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Mason Marchment celebrates his third goal of the game with center Adam Fantilli (Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images)
His first goal came on a screened shot with Fantilli providing the traffic. His impact was felt in all three zones, especially in moments where Columbus needed a response.
After the game, Marchment said, “The thing that sticks out for me is just the way that we bounced back after they kind of came back and pushed against us in the second there. For us to keep our foot on the gas and keep frustrating them was huge.”
Physical Play Setting the Tone Again
One of my keys coming into this game was for the Blue Jackets to continue the physicality they showed Thursday against the Dallas Stars. They did exactly that. Up and down the lineup, they forechecked hard and made Tampa uncomfortable.
Mathieu Olivier was noticeable all night as a physical presence both during play and after the whistle, as he finished with four hits. Voronkov finished with five hits, forced two takeaways, and scored again. His goal came off a hard forecheck, and he also saw time on the top power-play unit, which was great to see.
Their physicality created turnovers and odd-man rushes. Columbus finished with 27 hits and forced 19 giveaways from the Lightning. It was not a pretty defensive game for either side, and the goaltending was not great, but when it mattered, the Blue Jackets made the plays they needed to keep the lead in the third period.
Columbus blocked 15 shots, led by Olivier with three. Eight different skaters recorded at least one block, a sign of a true buy-in from this group as they push toward the playoff race. In the third period, they laid the body, blocked shots from the outside, and saw strong backchecks throughout the lineup.
This win was impressive considering the last two opponents. Columbus beat two of the best teams in the NHL in completely different styles. One was a mature defensive win, and the other was an offensive shootout. It shows they can play any type of game, which is a promising sign for the rest of the season. It was not perfect or pretty, but they got it done.
The Blue Jackets now get an opportunity to rest and regroup before hosting the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night at 7:00 PM ET to continue the homestand.
