Columbus reversed the trend of slow starts against the Lightning.
During the three-game regular season series between Tampa Bay and Columbus, the Lightning outscored the Blue Jackets 7-0 in the first period of those games. In Game 1, that trend continued with the Bolts gaining the aforementioned 3-0 edge. From Games 2-4, the Jackets outscored the Lightning 4-1 in the first period, allowing them to dictate the flow of play and bring the game down to their pace. Speaking of which….
The Blue Jackets employed their game plan to perfection and the Lightning didn’t adjust.
That plan? A 1-2-2 forecheck that slowed down the Lightning’s speed and skill, forcing them to make quicker decisions, clog up passing lanes, create turnovers, and make the Lightning play a dump-and-chase game they simply aren’t comfortable playing. Throughout much of this series, that strategy worked to perfection. Columbus knew that getting into a track meet with the Lightning was a dangerous game they couldn’t win. Instead, they frustrated the Bolts with their game plan, using it to generate odd-man rushes and opportunities off turnovers. The Lightning failed to generate the kind of high-danger chances they were accustomed to, leading to a lot of perimeter shots and one-and-done plays in the Jackets’ zone. Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella simply out-coached Lightning head coach Jon Cooper.
The Lightning were continually slow to adjust to what Columbus was doing. During the regular season, Cooper pushed all the right buttons, but once the playoffs began, he didn’t have an answer. This was a team that clearly got into a funk after Game 1 and he was unable to help bring them out of it. Turning to Ryan Callahan or Braydon Coburn, grizzled playoff veterans, after that first game probably wouldn’t have hurt, but Cooper decided to keep them out of the lineup until Game 3. Playoff series also tend to become more about tactical adjustments since you’re playing the same team over and over again. It became pretty clear which coach made all the right moves and which one didn’t.
Lightning frustration turned into poor decisions by its stars.
That blown lead in Game 1 eventually led to a 5-1 blowout for the Blue Jackets, as the Lightning continually made mistakes, unable to string together passes with regularity and unable to control puck possession for any sustained length of time in Columbus’s zone. The Lightning were losing their confidence in a hurry, and that lost confidence turned into frustration near the end of both Games 2 and 3. With the Bolts trailing 5-1 in the third period of Game 2, Kucherov caught Markus Nutivaara with a dirty hit along the boards after tripping him moments before:
Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov has been suspended for one game for Boarding Columbus’ Markus Nutivaara. https://t.co/VcQW77cQd1
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 13, 2019
This poor decision led to Kucherov sitting out Game 3, a contest the Lightning lost 3-1.
