Closer than the scoreboard suggests.
Brandon Hagel had a three-point night with two goals and an assist to help lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-1, on Thursday night at Amalie Arena.
Hagel has a four-game point streak (three goals, three assists).
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored his first goal of the season and Brayden Point's third-period go-ahead goal stood up as the game-winner. Point is on a five-game point streak (six goals, one assist).
Nikita Kucherov had three assists for the second consecutive game and is on a six-game point streak (one goal, nine assists). Victor Hedman had two assists for the second time in as many games, and Vladislav Namestnikov and Ian Cole also had assists.
Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets. Cole Sillinger and Erik Gudbranson had the assists.
Brian Elliott made 24 saves for his seventh straight win. Daniil Tarasov stopped 25 shots.
Eric Robinson missed the game due to an illness. Mikhail Sergachev missed the game after leaving Tuesday's win over the Kraken to an undisclosed injury after blocking a shot.
The season is more than two months old, but tonight's game in Tampa was the first time the #CBJ played consecutive road games (outside of the set in Finland).
— CBJ Stats (@BlueJacketStats) December 16, 2022
From here out, the play consecutive road games 10 times including 3+ on the road on four separate occasions.
Tarasov's Sneaky Good Stretch
Tarasov made his first start for Columbus since a 34-save performance in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 28. Prior to that, he made a career-high 47 saves in a 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Nov. 20.
Otherwise, all of his NHL work came in October. He had a six-save effort in relief in the 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on Oct. 28 and made four starts before that.
Thursday's start was just his seventh start this season after being recalled from Cleveland on Monday as Joonas Kopisalo recovers from a lower-body injury.
It was a little bit of good and bad for Tarasov in the first period. Bellemare's goal eluded Tarasov, but then he made a huge stop on the penalty kill that must have left Kucherov wondering what just happened.
#GoBolts Bellemare goal pic.twitter.com/IgriaQCZA2
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) December 16, 2022
nuts #CBJ pic.twitter.com/9Jx4X1CyCF
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 16, 2022
Tarasov had a strong 40 minutes before Points' goal at 9:02 of the third period to give Tampa the lead.
MoneyPuck had Tarasov's goals saved above expected at 0.36. The Blue Jackets' penalty kill has been perfect (13-for-13) over their last four games now, going three-for-three on the night. They have to limit the number of penalties, but at least for them, the PK has been up to the challenge.
The Jackets' power play was 0-for-1 falling to 2-for-28 on the road.
Two for Marchenko
Marchenko scored his second career NHL goal in the second period at 3:10. Sillinger had a glorious play with the cross-ice pass and Marchenko was there waiting with the perfect release.
Cross-ice feed from Sillinger to Marchenko for the goal. Gudbranson also gets an assist. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/c0216TKPRy
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 16, 2022
The point is Sillinger's first since his goal against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 17, when he was in the middle of a season-best three-game point streak.
#CBJ Kirill Marchenko leads the Blue Jackets in shots on goal (4), shot attempts (7), also has a hit, a blocked shot and a takeaway.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) December 16, 2022
He's last among all #CBJ players with just 6:38 in ice time through two periods.
Marchenko co-led the Blue Jackets—alongside Gudbranson—with four shots, had two blocked shots, two hits, and one takeaway, and played 13:58.
#CBJ Kirill Marchenko leads the Blue Jackets in shots on goal (4), shot attempts (7), also has a hit, a blocked shot and a takeaway.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) December 16, 2022
He's last among all #CBJ players with just 6:38 in ice time through two periods.
Down two, you might consider playing the kids in a situation like this, to see what you have. Maybe. Marchenko, the lone goal scorer, has four shots which co-leads the team. He's at 11:19 tonight. #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 16, 2022
Games Like This Are Fun
It might not have been a win. But there was just this sense throughout the first two periods that the Blue Jackets looked and felt confident, particularly in the second period.
They had Marchenko's tying goal and a dominant shots advantage for most of the middle frame, and an 11-8 edge in the second.
Jackets have an 8-1 shots advantage at the 8-minute mark of period 2. And of course the tying goal. #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 16, 2022
Just the idea of seeing Sillinger connecting with Marchenko, and players like Kent Johnson, and others gaining invaluable experience with each shift makes the excitement for the future that much more palatable. They still need more minutes.
#CBJ head coach Brad Larsen said it wasnt hard to give the Marchenko-Sillinger-Johnson line plenty of playing time in the third. The trio ended with nine shifts in the final period. They earned it. It was easy to put them out there.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) December 16, 2022
Sillinger led the team with 85.00 CF% and played the fewest 5v5 minutes (11:48) per Natural Stat Trick.
As the game played out, it proved Coby Maeir's point earlier in the week that the Blue Jackets are still pretty far away from competition like the Panthers and Lightning. But there were some good elements that make these games a little more pleasant. At least, before the third period.
Trouble Bruin
The Blue Jackets head to Boston to face league-leading Bruins on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 1:00 pm ET. The Bruins beat the Blue Jackets, 4-0, on Oct. 28 at Nationwide Arena. Tonight, the Los Angeles Kings beat the Bruins in a shootout, 3-2, in Boston.
