2 weeks Ago By Mark Scheig, The Hockey Writers
The game is never over until the final buzzer or an overtime winner is scored. The Columbus Blue Jackets saw that experience play out firsthand on Thursday night. Despite trailing 3-0 within the first 12 minutes, the Blue Jackets fought back and earned a 7-6 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning .
Defenseman Zach Werenski scored five points including two goals and the game winner in overtime. Sean Monahan added four points to help erase a dreadful start to the game. The story of this game was the many twists and turns it took.
Game Recap The Lightning didn’t wait long to jump out to that 3-0 lead. Goals from Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel not even four minutes in quieted the building on Hockey Fights Cancer night. Former Blue Jacket Cam Atkinson then deflected home his first goal of the season to make it 3-0.
The game then turned less than two minutes later thanks to Monahan. Monahan was in the right place at the right time to deposit a rebound into an open net. Not only did it make it 3-1, it jumpstarted the Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets then dominated long stretches of the game from a shot attempts perspective. By night’s end, they had over 90 attempts. The second period featured a total of six goals to turn a 3-1 game into a 5-5 game.
Goals by Dmitri Voronkov and Kent Johnson made it 3-3. Mitchell Chaffee scored immediately after to make it 4-3. Werenski and Yegor Chinakhov scored in quick succession to make it 5-4 only to have Anthony Cirelli tie the game.
It was pond hockey at its finest. The game calmed down considerably in the third. But on a Lightning power play, the teams traded goals.
Kent Johnson scored shorthanded while Conor Geekie made it 6-6 on the same power play. Regulation was unable to solve this back and forth game. In the overtime, Werenski converted his second of the night past Jonas Johansson to send the fans home happy.
The Blue Jackets outshot the Lightning 43-30 for the game including 35-18 from the second period on. Elvis Merzlikins got the win while stopping just 24 of 30. Johansson suffered the loss despite 36 saves.
The Blue Jackets will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday in Jack Roslovic and Eric Robinson’s return to Nationwide Arena. The Lightning head home to host the Dallas Stars in what should be a great game. This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.
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