Lightning's point streak snapped on ugly night in Columbus

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on Jan 24, 2026

Published in Hockey

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The Lightning arrived in Columbus playing their best stretch of hockey in years, riding a 15-game point streak and holding opponents to two goals or fewer in regulation for eight straight games.

But there’s something about Nationwide Arena that can bring out the worst in the Lightning. Maybe it’s that incessant cannon. Whatever it is, all too often structure seems to go out the window.

It was clear early on Saturday night, as the Lightning played the second of back-to-back road games, that this was not the same team that went 14-0-1 over its previous 15.

The Lightning’s 8-5 loss to the Blue Jackets ended the third-longest point streak in team history and dealt Tampa Bay its first regulation loss since Dec. 8 in Toronto. Its eight goals allowed were a season high.

In a turnover-riddled game, the Lightning allowed more goals in the first period (four) than they had over the three previous games combined (three) and trailed by two at the first intermission.

They battled back to tie with two goals in an 89-second span early in the second period, including a dazzling pass by Brandon Hagel as he fell to the ice to feed Nikita Kucherov in front. The goal was the 383rd of Kucherov’s career, tying Vinny Lecavalier for second on the Lightning’s all-time list.

But the Lightning never could get a lead.

Just over four minutes after Anthony Cirelli tied the game at 4:58 of the period, Mason Marchment jumped onto the ice from the near penalty box and skated in uncovered, taking a pass from Zach Werenski and putting the Blue Jackets back ahead 5-4.

With just over a minute left in the period, Charlie Coyle restored Columbus’ two-goal lead with a power-play goal.

The Lightning had just killed off a tripping penalty on Declan Carlile when Charle-Edouard D’Astous received a delay-of-game penalty for flipping the puck over the glass. Coyle scored just nine seconds later, beating Jonas Johansson inside the left post after Johansson missed a poke-check.

The Lightning (32-14-4) opened the game without a pair of rookies, center Jack Finley and defenseman Max Crozier, due to illness. Defenseman Simon Lundmark made his NHL debut, and forward Jakob Pelletier was recalled from AHL Syracuse to draw into the lineup.

They became further shorthanded when defenseman Erik Cernak was knocked out of the game with 2:15 left in the first period after taking an uncalled blindside hit into the end boards from Mathieu Olivier. Forward Gage Goncalves also was missing from the Lightning bench to open the second period.

The Lightning then lost D’Astous in the third period after his left knee was banged on a collision with Kirill Marchenko, forcing theem to play with just four defensemen over the final 11-plus minutes.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper pulled Johansson for an extra attacker with 5:15 left, and after Darren Raddysh hit the post Sean Monahan scored into an empty net. Jake Guentzel netted a 6-on-5 goal, but Marchment scored into an empty net with 24.4 seconds left to complete a hat trick.