Story by
Columbus Blue Jackets top Tampa Bay Lightning in wild OT victory: 5 takeaways
- Story by
- Columbus Blue Jackets top Tampa Bay Lightning in wild OT victory: 5 takeaways
It was a bad night for goalies, hockey coaches and sports writers trying to keep up with the action in a wild 13-goal game that seesawed back and forth before ending in overtime.
More: Rewind: Werenski delivers for Columbus Blue Jackets in 7-6 OT win over Tampa Bay Lightning
Advertisement
Everybody else probably had a grand time Thursday night at Nationwide Arena, where Zach Werenski 's second goal of the game, scored at 1:26 of overtime for his career-high fifth point of the night, lifted the Blue Jackets to a 7-6 victory over the stunned Tampa Bay Lighting .
To the Blue Jackets (8-9-2), who have stunned the Lightning after trailing 3-0 before , it was par for the course. Overcoming a 3-0 deficit to win a game for the sixth time in franchise history and seventh time when trailing by three goals, they established a new franchise high in goals through the first 19 games of a season (66).
"It's different, right?" Werenski said. "I don't mind it, but it's kind of frustrating when you score, and then they score, and it's back-and-forth line that, but tonight was fun because we got the win and that's all that matters."
Here are five takeaways:
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) celebrates scoring the game winning goal beside Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) during overtime of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. The Blue Jackets won 7-6.
Another Werenski 'Zach Attack' lifts Columbus Blue Jackets to victory
Werenski, 27, is tracking for what could be a special season individually.
Advertisement
Werenski's status as one of the NHL's elite defensemen has been hindered by frustrating injuries, the Blue Jackets' struggles during a rebuild and their relative obscurity outside of Columbus. After setting a career-high and becoming the only defenseman in club history to notch five points in a game (two goals, three assists), he's now co-leading the team in scoring at 6-13-19 and is tied for second among all NHL defensemen in points.
Quinn Hughes ( Vancouver Canucks ) and Josh Morrissey ( Winnipeg Jets ) are the other two at that number, and all three are chasing Cale Makar 's 8-20-28 for the Colorado Avalanche .
"I've seen a lot of hockey players," Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said of Werenski. "I don't think I've seen one like him, honestly. He's amazing, you know? When he wants the puck, goes and gets it. When he wants to defend, he defends ... and he has stepped up in a leadership role. He's really embraced that."
Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson (91) celebrates scoring a goal during the second period of the NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson picks up where he left off
There might have been a couple of plays that seemed a little fast to Kent Johnson after he missed 14 games with a shoulder injury, but he mostly went back to shining for the Blue Jackets.
Advertisement
Skating at right wing on Adam Fantilli 's line, Johnson logged 14:58 and played in all situations. He also scored two big goals, one for each specialty team. The first capped a power play in the second period with a gorgeous one-timer, while his second gave the Blue Jackets a short-lived 6-5 lead while shorthanded in the third.
Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson (91) celebrates scoring a goal past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson (31) during the third period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. The Blue Jackets won 7-6 in overtime.
After that one, Johnson excitedly pointed at Werenski for an impressive setup pass off a bouncing puck in the low slot. Johnson's scoring line is now 4-3-7 in five games, and he looked right at home in such a wild, wide open goal bonanza.
"Those are really fun games," Johnson said, smiling. "You feel kind of like you're on the pond a little bit. I knew it'd be fine (returning). It was just hockey, but a real game, you can't emulate it in practice. I definitely needed a game (and) I feel like I can be sharper next game."
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) flips the puck over Tampa Bay Lightning center Gage Goncalves (93) during the third period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. The Blue Jackets won 7-6 in overtime.
Columbus Blue Jackets dominate analytics vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay controlled the first 11-plus minutes of the game, building a 3-0 lead to make the arena feel like a library. After the Blue Jackets heard their alarm clock, however, they dominated the remainder of the game outside of costly mistakes that put goalie Elvis Merzlikins in bad situations that led to goals.
Advertisement
That's the only reason the Lightning forced overtime. Otherwise, they were swarmed by a relentless Blue Jackets attack that is starting to make a habit out of owning the analytics battle.
They outshot the Lightning 43-30 – the fourth time the Jackets have topped 40 shots and 12thtime they've finished with an edge in shots – and Natural Stat Trick's tally of scoring chances was even more lopsided. Despite getting just one power play, the Blue Jackets forged a stunning 45-16 edge in total scoring chances and 19-9 margin in high-danger chances.
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) skates past Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser (90) during the third period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. The Blue Jackets won 7-6 in overtime.
Scoring chances favored Columbus 20-3 during the Jackets' four-goal second period, including 8-3 in high-danger situations, and they had a 6-0 high-danger edge in the third.
Advertisement
It wasn't an anomaly.
Despite a 3-6-1 record in their past 10 games, the Blue Jackets have finished with a higher percentage of scoring chances in eight of those games – including a higher percentage of high-danger looks in seven of them. If that trend continues and gets paired with improvement in the defensive zone, a winning streak longer than just two or three games could emerge.
"Obviously, the more chances you have at the net, the more that are going to go in the net," Evason. "We can reinforce some positivity in that area, but we worked the 'D' zone (in practice Wednesday) ... and we'll practice 'D' zone again (Friday)."
Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan (23) scores past Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson (31) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
Sean Monahan thriving as Columbus Blue Jackets catalyst
Sean Monahan finished with a goal, three assists and four points against the Lightning to run his season scoring line to 7-12-19 to tie Werenski for the team scoring lead.
Advertisement
After signing with the Blue Jackets as a free agent on July 1, the veteran center has given his new team everything they could've hoped to get from him. Centering the top line all season, he's been a steady contributor in nearly every facet and has played a key role in getting the Jackets' offense cranked up.
His goal Thursday stopped Tampa Bay's dominant start, cutting it to 3-1 at the first intermission, and he assisted on three of the Jackets' four goals scored in the first 6:18 of the second period.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson (78) defense Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) during the second period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
Columbus Blue Jackets' Damon Severson responds to message
Damon Severson is having an interesting season. He's at 4-5-9 for scoring, but has gone through some turbulence where his contributions jump out for either the right or wrong reasons. Finding a more consistent middleground has been a challenge.
Advertisement
Evason didn't name him specifically after practice Wednesday, but saying that a new defensive look with Severson on the third pairing could possible be "a message," felt like it was referencing his season. It really felt that way with Severson opening Thursday's game still on the right side of the third pairing, but it didn't last long.
Severson played well. He logged a solid 23:30, assisted on Monahan's goal and blocked two shots to earn a promotion back into the top four as Ivan Provorov 's partner on the second pairing.
Consistency remains the key.
Advertisement
Get more on the Columbus Blue Jackets with our Cannon Fodder podcast
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets top Tampa Bay Lightning in OT: 5 takeaways
