Lightning use OT to top Blue Jackets in rematch from playoffs

COLUMBUS -- Brayden Point scored 1:56 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

Ryan McDonagh had two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 23 saves for the Lightning (3-0-0).
Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and an assist, and Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves for the Blue Jackets (1-2-2).
Vasilevskiy used his right arm to stop Zach Werenski on a 2-on-0 with Alexandre Texier 23 seconds into overtime before Point converted Victor Hedman's pass across the crease for the game-winner.
"[Hedman] wheels around and puts it on my tape and I'm able to get enough on it," Point said. "I didn't get all of it, but I was lucky enough [that] it kind of bounced the right way and goes in. What a great feed by [Hedman]."
It was the first time Tampa Bay and Columbus faced each other since the Eastern Conference First Round last season. The Lightning won the best-of-7 series in five games. Game 1, the fourth-longest game in NHL history, ended when Point scored to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 win at 10:27 of the fifth overtime.

The Blue Jackets swept the Lightning in the first round in 2019 after Tampa Bay won the Presidents' Trophy with an NHL-best 128 points in the regular season, four shy of the record held by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.
The teams will play each other eight times this season as part of the new Discover Central Division, including Saturday here.
"We're pretty used to each other," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Nine playoff games in the last two years. We've played them a lot. So we're pretty familiar with each other. Same coaches, pretty much the same players.
"And you know what you're going to get with Columbus. They defend, they play hard, it's tough to get on the inside. We had to play with a lot of discipline in our game to make sure we're in these games. Tonight was another example."
Bjorkstrand gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead 21 seconds into the game after Max Domi took the puck away from Hedman near the Lightning blue line and passed to Bjorkstrand in the right face-off circle.
"It was nice to get that first one," Bjorkstrand said. "We just needed to build off that."
Blake Coleman, who came off the COVID-19 protocol list Wednesday, tied it 1-1 at 16:33 of the second when he tapped in a McDonagh pass on the rush. It was McDonagh's 300th NHL point.

McDonagh set up Mathieu Joseph's goal at 17:56 that gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead.
Nick Foligno tied it 2-2 for Columbus with a deflection on the power play at 47 seconds of the third period.
Blue Jackets first-line center Pierre-Luc Dubois played an NHL career-low 3:55 with no shifts after the first period, though he remained on the bench.
Coach John Tortorella said last week he believed Dubois wanted to leave the Blue Jackets. The forward signed a two-year contract Dec. 31.
"I've told you many times, I really don't make decisions as far as minutes, it's up to the player to show me," Tortorella said after the game. "And if there's one thing I'm pretty easy to read on is the minutes. You're going to get out there, if you play and if you play the proper way you're going to get back out there. The onus is on the player and all players, not just the player we're talking about here that sat. It's all the players, and I'm not a hard guy to read as far as that's concerned."
NOTES: The Lightning are the first defending Stanley Cup champions to start a season with three straight wins since the Dallas Stars in 1999-00. The longest such streak is five games by the 1920-21 Ottawa Senators and the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers. … Tampa Bay forward Steven Stamkos had an assist, giving him six points (two goals, four assists) in a three-game point streak to start the season. … Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli had an assist and has four points (goal, three assists) in a three-game point streak. … Bjorkstrand has five points (two goals, three assists) in a three-game point streak.