On this day in hockey history (August 11, 2020), the Columbus Blue Jackets lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 5OT game, courtesy to the heroics of superstar center iceman Brayden Point.
There is a lot of information to dissect from in regards to the results of the game and how it has impacted present day.
First, let’s start with the lead into that game: the sweep. This was the first postseason game between the two squads since the upset of the 2018-2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and that was the Columbus Blue Jackets defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in four games. That was the days when Columbus had playoff rentals in Artemi Panarin; Matt Duchene; Ryan Dzingel; Adam McQuaid; Keith Kinkaid; and Sergei Bobrovsky. Columbus management was running the team into a push for a deep playoff contention, with hopes of winning a playoff series for the first time in franchise history.
After upsetting the Bolts in round one, they pushed the Boston Bruins in six games in round two of the playoffs, and Columbus came up short; Boston went on the loss the Stanley Cup Finals to the St. Louis Blues. Winger Patrick Marron, who was part of the Blues roster at that time, went to the Tampa Bay Lightning that offseason.
Next, Tampa Bay realized the beating they took physically from the hands of the Columbus roster, adding the grit in the aforementioned Marron; spending two first round draft picks for forwards Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow; defenders Zach Bogosian and Kevin Shattenkirk; and goaltenders Mike Condon and Marek Maznec at the costs of forwards JT Miller, Nolan Foote, and the retired cap hit Ryan Callahan.
Heading into overtime, the game was tied at 2-2. One shot. One goal. That was all that was needed to tie the game. Pierre-Luc Dubois and Oliver Bjorkstrand were the goal scorers for Columbus; Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde were the goal scorers for Tampa Bay. It took five and a half periods between Gourde’s tying and Point’s winning goals to conclude the contest; the last Columbus goal was scored with 48 seconds left in the second period.
Jonas Korpisalo stopped 85 of 88; Andrei Vaslievsky stopped 61 of 63 shots. Both goalies stood on their heads along with the defensive groups for both teams. The rosters for both sides on the backend held them in games and playoff runs in the past and present.
After this game, Tampa went on to defeat Columbus in five games and win the 2020 Stanley Cup. At the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline, the Lightning dealt a first round pick and two fourth round picks to Columbus and Detroit to grab defenders Brian Lashoff and David Savard. With Tampa, Savard helped with Tampa Bay. The Lightning are looking to repeat in 2022, being the first team since the Islanders in the 1980s to win three Stanley Cup titles in a row.
This off-season, Tampa Bay lost Yanni Gourde to Seattle, and dealt Tyler Johnson to Chicago to get underneath the salary cap ceiling. They also lost veteran winners in Curtis McElhinney, Luke Schenn, Barclay Goodrow, Blake Coleman, David Savard, Luke Witkowski, Brian Lashoff, Andreas Borgman, Spencer Martin, Christopher Gibson, and Mitchell Stephens. They did add veterans in Corey Perry, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Zach Bogosian, and Brian Elliott to hope for the three-peat in Florida.
Columbus has gone on a downward spiral in 2021, losing head coach John Tortorella; captain Nick Foligno; Stanley Cup Champion David Savard; veteran forward Riley Nash; and depth players in defenders Michael Del Zotto and Adam Clendenning and forwards Zac Dalpe and Stefan Matteau. With the moves and departures, Columbus added three first round draft picks; other draft steals and defensive prospects; and veteran grit that wanted to play in Columbus.
At the draft floor, the Blue Jackets dealt defenseman Seth Jones, winger Cam Atkinson, and the 32nd and 42nd overall draft selections in exchange for Jakub Voracek, Adam Boqvist, Jake Bean, the 12th overall selection, and a 2022 conditional 1st round draft choice with lottery protection.
With the 9 draft selections in 2021, Columbus added Kent Johnson from Michigan; Cole Sillinger from Medicine Hat; Carson Culeumans from the USHL; and Stanislav Svozil from the Czech Republic in the draft. I’m free agency, Columbus signed veteran forwards Sean Kuraly and Zac Rinaldo. Columbus also qualified and extended Boone Jenner; Alexandre Texier; Patrik Laine; and Zach Werenski to mega contract extensions.
Since the 5OT, both teams have collided into polar opposite directions, with one team treading down, while the other is at an all time high. Tampa Bay has won three Stanley Cups since 2004; Columbus has only won one series and that was over Tampa. Columbus shook Tampa after the 2019 sweep, making them not only a skilled team, but a physical one that will remain at the top as long as their stars remain.
Thoughts on the Columbus v Tampa bloodbath? More to come...