Tampa Bay Lightning at Columbus Blue Jackets
· National Hockey LeagueZach Werenski’s goal in OT and 5-point game helps Blue Jackets to 7-6 win over Lightning
Werenski had tied the game at 4 in the second period and added three assists as the Blue Jackets won their second straight game. Sean Monahan had a goal and three assists and Dmitri Voronkov added a goal and an assist. Kent Johnson scored on a power play and short-handed in his first game back after missing 14 contests due to an injury sustained on Oct. 17. Yegor Chinakhov added a goal and Elvis Merzlikins stopped 24 shots.
Anthony Cirelli, Mitchell Chaffee, Brandon Hagel and Connor Geekie each had a goal and an assist for Tampa Bay. Brayden Point and Cam Atkinson also scored, and Nikita Kucherov finished with three assists. Jonas Johansson made 36 saves.
Blue Jackets: Columbus returned home after seven of its last eight games on the road and scored four times in the second period.
CBJ lead series 1-0
Scoring Summary
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Goal | 1st Period 1:51 | Brayden Point Goal (11) Wrist Shot, assists: Nikita Kucherov (16), Jake Guentzel (11) |
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Goal | 1st Period 3:58 | Brandon Hagel Goal (9) Snap Shot, assists: Nikita Kucherov (17), Anthony Cirelli (13) |
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Goal | 1st Period 11:52 | Cam Atkinson Goal (1) Deflected, assists: Victor Hedman (14), Mitchell Chaffee (3) |
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Goal | 1st Period 13:35 | Sean Monahan Goal (7) Snap Shot, assists: Dmitri Voronkov (2), Damon Severson (5) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 0:28 | Dmitri Voronkov Goal (4) Wrist Shot, assists: Sean Monahan (10), Zach Werenski (11) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 1:55 | Kent Johnson Goal (3) Slap Shot, assists: Zach Werenski (12), Kirill Marchenko (11) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 2:11 | Mitchell Chaffee Goal (5) Backhand, assists: Conor Geekie (3) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 3:42 | Zach Werenski Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: Kirill Marchenko (12), Sean Monahan (11) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 5:26 | Yegor Chinakhov Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: Cole Sillinger (8), Mathieu Olivier (3) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 6:18 | Anthony Cirelli Goal (6) Snap Shot, assists: Brandon Hagel (10), Nikita Kucherov (18) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 10:39 | Kent Johnson Goal (4) Snap Shot, assists: Zach Werenski (13), Sean Monahan (12) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 11:23 | Conor Geekie Goal (3) Tip-In, assists: Gage Goncalves (1), J.J. Moser (6) |
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Goal | 4th Period 1:26 | Zach Werenski Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: Cole Sillinger (9), Ivan Provorov (5) |
Statistics
TB |
CBJ |
|
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Blocked Shots | 20 |
| 21 | Hits | 28 |
| 3 | Takeaways | 5 |
| 30 | Shots | 43 |
| 2 | Power Play Goals | 1 |
| 2 | Power Play Opportunities | 1 |
| 100.0 | Power Play Percentage | 100.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 1 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 36 | Faceoffs Won | 27 |
| 57.1 | Faceoff Win Percent | 42.9 |
| 10 | Giveaways | 17 |
| 1 | Total Penalties | 2 |
| 2 | Penalty Minutes | 4 |
Columbus Blue Jackets Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|
Tampa Bay Lightning Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Victor Hedman, D | Out | Mar 25 |
| Maxwell Crozier, D | Injured Reserve | Mar 19 |
| Declan Carlile, D | Injured Reserve | Mar 14 |
| Dominic James, C | Injured Reserve | Mar 5 |
Game Information
Nationwide Arena
Location: Columbus, OH
Attendance: 16,260 | Capacity:
Location: Columbus, OH
Attendance: 16,260 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Buffalo |
44 | 20 | 96 | 8 |
Tampa Bay |
44 | 21 | 93 | 5 |
Montreal |
39 | 21 | 88 | 10 |
Boston |
40 | 24 | 88 | 8 |
Ottawa |
38 | 24 | 85 | 9 |
Detroit |
38 | 25 | 84 | 8 |
Toronto |
31 | 29 | 75 | 13 |
Florida |
35 | 32 | 73 | 3 |
2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carolina |
45 | 20 | 96 | 6 |
Columbus |
38 | 22 | 87 | 11 |
Pittsburgh |
35 | 20 | 86 | 16 |
NY Islanders |
40 | 27 | 85 | 5 |
Philadelphia |
34 | 24 | 80 | 12 |
Washington |
35 | 28 | 79 | 9 |
New Jersey |
36 | 32 | 74 | 2 |
NY Rangers |
28 | 35 | 65 | 9 |




TB
CBJ
Buffalo
Tampa Bay
Montreal
Boston
Ottawa
Detroit
Toronto
Florida
Carolina
Columbus
Pittsburgh
NY Islanders
Philadelphia
Washington
New Jersey
NY Rangers