The Tampa Bay Lightning rolled into Columbus and dominated the Blue Jackets on the second half of a back-to-back. They took a 3-1 win away from the Blue Jackets in front of an apathetic Nationwide Arena crowd last night.
We should know better.
Missing several key players-including their top two centers-and starting a backup goalie, the Lightning were primed for a letdown after a big win in Buffalo on Wednesday night. But this is the Jackets. The Blue Jackets. Letdown is their milieu.
So, we should not have been surprised when the Bolts weathered an early push from a neutered CBJ offense. We should not have been surprised when they marched right down to the other end and scored on their first shot sequence of the game.
Stop me if you have heard any of this before. The Blue Jackets back off of their blue line too easy. They give the Lightning plenty of time and space to allow their third attacker to arrive on scene. There is no real back-checking effort from their forwards. An ugly rebound ensues, and nobody is covering the guy in the slot. You know, same old Blue Jackets stuff.
But hey, we can't complain too much. They treated us to something entirely new and fresh: a power-play goal! Matthew Knies scored his first goal since opening night, snapping a 16-game goal scoring drought.
Once again, the play was set up by Kent Johnson, who continues to aid in any and all of this team's offense. He took an abysmal Sean Monahan pass and not only kept the play alive; he made something happen out of it.
Not only has #CBJ’s Kent Johnson been a point per game player so far this season but he has now a point on 17 of #CBJ’s 40 goals scored so far this season, scoring 8 of them (or 20%).
— PuckStatsSam (@PuckStatsSam) November 13, 2026
Therefore, KJ is directly contributing to 42.5% of his team’s goals this season.
Unfortunately, that was all of the offense from the home squad. Once again, should we be surprised? One goal seems to be enough to sate their appetites on most nights. They played a low event game for the rest of the way, while their opponent made adjustments and took the two points.
The Lightning came out and dominated the early part of the third period, regaining the lead just 1:06 in; and then doubling it at 7:41. By the time the Blue Jackets pulled Jet Greaves for an extra attacker, most of the crowd had already left the building.
We knew where this was heading, because we have seen it for years. Even if you aren't a long-time fan, you knew where this was heading, because we have seen it all year. They feigned a late comeback effort, but could not solve one of the worst backup goaltenders in the NHL.
The final score: 3-1. The final thought: where does this team go from here? They have now lost three games in a row, and own the fourth-worst record in the league. Have we reached rock bottom already this season? It sure feels like it.
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