In Tampa, the Lightning trailed 2-1 heading into the third period. Avoiding a four-game losing streak, the Bolts scored twice in the third for a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
Ross Colton and Brayden Point scored 66 seconds apart in the final frame for the win.
“I felt like I had some jump tonight and I thought our team had a lot of jump,” Point said. “And when we’re skating, that’s when we’re creating chances. I thought we had a lot of zone time and made some nice plays in zone. [Colton] has been playing great. Another big goal for him and a big goal for us.”
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves in the win.
“It was a tough game. That’s a really good team and they are a really tough team to play against,” Colton said. “It’s an up-and-down game. We stuck with the game plan and good things happened.”
Zach Werenski and Eric Robinson were the Columbus strikers.
“We played such a good game, and it stings for sure when you can’t get the two points,” Columbus’ Max Domi said. “That is the best team in the game for sure and they capitalized on the opportunities they had. Give them credit. But at the same time, everyone in that locker room knows that if we bury of couple of those chances we are on the winning side.”
Point’s first goal of the game gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead.
“[Point] had the puck a lot tonight, and when he has the puck a lot of good things usually happen,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said.
Elvis Merzlikins made 31 saves in the loss.
“I think we could’ve scored more than two tonight,” Werenski said. “We had some chances and it would be nice to bear down and get a bigger lead. That’s a good goalie over there and he made some big saves. But yeah, it would be nice to score some more goals. It is what it is.”
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