Tampa Bay Lighting @ Columbus Blue Jackets: Season 26 Game 17 Recap

After a loss on home ice Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers, 4-1, our Columbus Blue Jackets would look for a win and two points at home again tonight. The Tampa Bay Lightning were here after playing and beating the Buffalo Sabers in New York last night, 5-2. Tonight wasn't just any meeting between the Lightning and Blue Jackets; it was Military Appreciation Night 2026. Thank you, today and every day, to those who serve. Now, let's recap some hockey!  

Brandon Hagel scored just 2:57 into the game, adding his twelfth goal this season. Charle-Edouard D'Asous would pick up his tenth assist this season on the primary, while Nikita Kucherov would add his nineteenth assist this season on the secondary. Just over halfway through the period, Matthew Knies would tie the game at 1-1 with his third goal this season! Kent Johnson continues to rack up points, adding his ninth assist this season on the primary, while Sean Monahan adds his sixth assist this season on the secondary. This goal would come at 12:20, with Lightning's Ilya Mikheyev in the box for a high-stick on Zach Werenski, making this a power-play goal. This would be the last goal of the period, but Lightning's Jeffrey Viel and Blue Jackets' Ryan Lomberg would have the lasting impression on this period after trading blows at 12:24! Each man would get a 5-minute major for fighting. The final shots on goal in this opening period would be in favor of the Blue Jackets by one, 12-11. 

The Lightning would dominate shots on goal in period 2, 11-5. That said, no goals would come from the combined 16 shots on goal, and the score would hold firm at a 1-1 tie. Something to note: Sean Monahan did take a hit and finished out the middle period, but didn't return for period 3. Not long after puck drop, CBJ Public Relations on X would announce that Sean Monahan would miss the remainder of tonight's game due to an upper-body injury. So, that's bad, and things wouldn't get better in the third period, either. 

Jake Guentzel would add his eleventh goal this season at 1:06 into period 3, allowing the Lighting to retake the lead, 2-1. Brandon Hagel would add an assist to his goal in period 1, his eleventh this season, on the primary. John Carlson would also add his tenth assist this season on the secondary. A few minutes later, Brandon Hagel would add a third point to his night, scoring his second goal of the evening, thirteenth this season, at 7:41. Jake Guentzel would add his second assist of the period, thirteenth this season, on the primary, and Nikita Kucherov would add his second assist tonight, twentieth this season, on the secondary. And, just like that, it's 3-1 Lightning. The Blue Jackets would get one more attempt on the power play at 10:43 after Brandon Hagel hooked Adam Fantilli, but no goal would come from it. The time would tick away, and the Blue Jackets would fall, 3-1. The Blue Jackets led in shots on goal this period, 13-6. It shows that the Blue Jackets didn't give up, but I can only say that so long before it feels like a hollow defense. 

All three Stars of the Game would be Lightning players. The Third Star would be their goaltender, Dennis Hildeby, who finished with a .966 save percentage after we scored on him just once. Jake Guentzel would be the Second Star of the Game after his 1-1-2 night. Brandon Hagel would be the First Star of tonight's game, finishing with a 2-1-3. 

We have a Saturday night showdown in Nationwide Arena against the Philadelphia Flyers at 7:00 p.m.

Go CBJ! 


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