Columbus Blue Jackets Take Commanding 3-0 Series Lead Over Tampa Bay Lightning

Published on April 15, 2019

Columbus Blue Jackets took a commanding 3-0 lead in the first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs against Tampa Bay Lightning with a 3-1 victory in front of an ignited Nationwide Arena.

Game Recap

Columbus had the advantage in the first period with 28-10 shot attempts and 12-3 shots on goal, although the first period ended scoreless.

Columbus was able to breakthrough with a 1-0 lead thanks to a 1:44 backhanded finish by Matt Duchene. Not long after at the 8:24 mark, Columbus came through with a power-play goal by Oliver Bjorkstrand into the far top corner which would give them a 2-0 lead heading into the third period.

The Lightning had a spark of what everyone had expected in the third period, although Sergei Bobrovsky was too much with his 30 saves. Adding to their power-play goal, the Jackets are 4-for-8 for the series; as the Lightning who led the regular season with best power play and kills are 0-for-5 and didn’t have a man advantage in Game 3.

Tampa Bay was able to break through with a 4:40 goal by Ondrej Palat bringing the score 2-1 with a pass from Erik Cernak.

Columbus was able to seal the deal with a 59.9 second shot by Cam Atkinson as he was able to finish the shot into an empty net which would lead to the Jackets first-ever 3-0 playoff series lead.

Quote from the Captain

The way we’re playing is the way you need to play to win hockey games […] we have to make sure we keep our foot on the gas. They’re obviously a team that’s dangerous. You can’t let up at all, but it’s nice to be able to deliver in a home game for our crowd.”   – Columbus Captain, Nick Foligno

History in The Making

This is the first time the Jackets have won three games in the same postseason. It’s also the first time the 2018-19 Lightning have failed to score multiple goals in consecutive games. It’s only the fifth time in the history NHL postseason competition that a team led the regular season in points but fell 0-3 in the first round of the playoffs.

Game 4 will be Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena at 7:00 PM ET.

Taylor Lee is a former Sports Editor at Grit Daily. With over ten years of experience in the business realm including an MBA from Grand Canyon University, Taylor focuses his writing in the fields of sports, music, and business. His other interest include being outdoors, cigars, and fine bourbons.

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