2019 Tampa Bay Lightning–Columbus Blue Jackets playoff series

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2019 Stanley Cup playoffs
Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, site of games 3 and 4
1234 Total
Columbus Blue Jackets 4537 4
Tampa Bay Lightning 3113 0
Location(s)Columbus: Nationwide Arena (3, 4)
Tampa Bay: Amalie Arena (1, 2)
CoachesColumbus: John Tortorella
Tampa Bay: Jon Cooper
CaptainsColumbus: Nick Foligno
Tampa Bay: Steven Stamkos
RefereesMarc Joannette, Jon McIsaac (1)
Francis Charron, Gord Dwyer (2)
Wes McCauley, Brian Pochmarra (3)
Kelly Sutherland, Chris Lee (4)
DatesApril 10–16
NetworksCanada (English): Sportsnet
Canada (French): TVA Sports
United States (English) (National): USA (1), CNBC (2 and 4) and NBCSN (3)
Columbus: Fox Sports Ohio
Tampa Bay: Fox Sports Sun
AnnouncersJohn Forslund and Pierre McGuire (Games 1–2, 4); John Forslund and Brian Boucher (Game 3); (NBC Sports and Sportsnet)
Jeff Rimer and Jody Shelley (Fox Sports Ohio)
Rick Peckham and Brian Engblom (Fox Sports Sun)
← 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs 2020 →

The 2019 Stanley Cup Eastern Conference First Round series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets was a playoff series in the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2018–19 season. The series began on April 10, 2019 and ended on April 16.

The 2018–19 NHL season saw the Tampa Bay Lightning tie the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings for the most regular season wins in NHL history. The Columbus Blue Jackets came into the series as the eighth seed, finishing with 98 points and qualifying for the playoffs in their second to last game. Tampa Bay won the Presidents' Trophy with 128 points and had beaten Columbus in all three regular season meetings by a combined score of 17 to 3. The Lightning were seen by analysts as the overwhelming favorites to win the series. However, the series ended in a shocking elimination for the Lightning; they blew a 3–0 lead at the end of the first period and lost Game 1, 4–3. The Blue Jackets subsequently won Game 2, 5–1 and, in Columbus, Ohio, won games 3 and 4, 3–1 and 7–3 respectively. The series concluded with Columbus sweeping the Lightning in four games, with a +11 goal differential, while never trailing in the final three games.

The series marked several NHL records. Tampa's elimination was the first time a Presidents' Trophy winner was swept by an eighth seed.[1] It was the fifth time in NHL history that a team with the best regular season record got swept in the First Round (and the first time since the Expansion Era). The Blue Jackets' victory was their first ever playoff series win in franchise history.[1] It was also the first time that a Presidents' Trophy winner was eliminated in the first round since 2012, though this would happen again in 2023.

Many commentators consider this series to be one of the greatest upsets in NHL history, considering that the Blue Jackets trailed the Lightning by 30 points exactly during the regular season. Jeremy Roenick of NBC Sports described Tampa's elimination as "one of the biggest letdowns in history", while the Tampa Bay Times described it as "the disappointment that all others are measured against".[2]

The two teams would once again play each other the next year in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, where the Lightning would avenge the previous year's loss winning that series 4–1 and would eventually go on to win the Stanley Cup. Tampa Bay would go on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, and would make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Background[edit]

Columbus Blue Jackets[edit]

Sergei Bobrovsky with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2013–14 season.

The Blue Jackets entered the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs as a wild card qualifier, qualifying in back-to-back years for the first time in franchise history. They faced the Washington Capitals in the first round, winning the first two games in overtime and their first series lead. However, they lost the next four games and the series in six games.

Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky and the team's leading scorer, Artemi Panarin were in the final year of their contracts before becoming unrestricted free agents. Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was an active participant near the trade deadline window of the 2018–19 season, acquiring several players with expiring contracts. On February 22, the Blue Jackets acquired Matt Duchene in a trade with the Ottawa Senators.[3] A day later, the Blue Jackets traded again with the Senators, this time acquiring Ryan Dzingel in exchange for Anthony Duclair.[4] On February 25, the Blue Jackets acquired Keith Kinkaid from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, and later acquired Adam McQuaid from the New York Rangers in exchange for Julius Bergman and fourth and seventh round picks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Despite these acquisitions, the Blue Jackets initially struggled into March as they faced fierce competition from the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes for the last two Wild Card spots. They won seven of their last eight games and on April 5, 2019, the Blue Jackets clinched the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 3–2 shootout win over the New York Rangers.[5]

Tampa Bay Lightning[edit]

Kucherov with the Lightning in 2014.

In the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Lightning eliminated the New Jersey Devils in the first round and the Boston Bruins in the second round, both in five games. However, they were defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, in seven games.

Prior to the start of the 2018–19 season, it was announced that Steve Yzerman was resigning from his position as GM, and Julien BriseBois took his place.[6][7] The Lightning clinched their first Presidents' Trophy and second consecutive division title and secured home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Lightning finished the regular season with 62 wins, tied with the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings for most wins in a single season in NHL history.[8] They recorded 128 points in the regular season, with a points percentage of .780, the second-highest rate for an 82-game season, behind only the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings (.799).[9] They were also the highest-scoring team on average (3.89) since the 1995–96 Red Wings and, of their 62 wins, 30 were by a margin of three or more goals, which was tied for the most since 1992–93.[9]

Pivotal to the Lightning's success was their offense led by Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov. On March 9, 2019, Kucherov set the Lightning single season record for points in a season with his 109th point of year.[10] Kucherov went on to record his 40th goal of the season on April 5, 2019 and his 126th point, setting the record for most points in an NHL season during the salary cap era, a record formerly held by Joe Thornton.[11] Kucherov ended the season with 128 points (41 goals and 87 assists), surpassing Alexander Mogilny for most points in the NHL by a Russian-born player and winning the Art Ross Trophy.[12][13] Stamkos and Point also exceeded 40 goals and 90 overall points each by the seasons end.[14]

Game summaries[edit]

April 10 Columbus Blue Jackets 4–3 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 04:12 – sh – Alex Killorn (1)
11:01 – Anthony Cirelli (1)
17:50 – Yanni Gourde (1)
Nick Foligno (1) – 09:15 Second period No scoring
David Savard (1) – 07:56
Josh Anderson (1) – sh – 11:54
Seth Jones (1) – pp – 14:05 		Third period No scoring
Sergei Bobrovsky 26 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Andrei Vasilevskiy 22 saves / 26 shots
April 12 Columbus Blue Jackets 5–1 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
Cam Atkinson (1) – 05:15
Zach Werenski (1) – pp – 11:44 		First period No scoring
Matt Duchene (1) – pp – 01:28 Second period No scoring
Riley Nash (1) – 09:06
Artemi Panarin (1) – 12:15 		Third period 05:00 – Mikhail Sergachev (1)
Sergei Bobrovsky 23 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Andrei Vasilevskiy 22 saves / 27 shots
April 14 Tampa Bay Lightning 1–3 Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 01:44 – Matt Duchene (2)
08:25 – pp – Oliver Bjorkstrand (1)
Ondrej Palat (1) – 04:40 Third period 19:00 – en – Cam Atkinson (2)
Andrei Vasilevskiy 27 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Sergei Bobrovsky 30 saves / 31 shots
April 16 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–7 Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena Recap  
Steven Stamkos (1) – 08:44 First period 02:26 – pp – Alexandre Texier (1)
03:48 – Pierre-Luc Dubois (1)
Cedric Paquette (1) – 13:03
Brayden Point (1) – pp – 17:52 		Second period 06:28 – Seth Jones (2)
18:46 – Oliver Bjorkstrand (2)
No scoring Third period 18:07 – en – Artemi Panarin (2)
18:26 – en – Alexandre Texier (2)
19:51 – en – Matt Duchene (3)
Andrei Vasilevskiy 18 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Sergei Bobrovsky 30 saves / 33 shots
Columbus won series 4–0


Team rosters[edit]

Columbus Blue Jackets[edit]

Updated April 16, 2019[15]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
77 Canada Josh Anderson RW R 24 2015 Burlington, Ontario
13 United States Cam Atkinson (A) RW R 29 2008 Riverside, Connecticut
28 Denmark Oliver Bjorkstrand RW R 24 2013 Herning, Denmark
72 Russia Sergei Bobrovsky G L 30 2012 Novokuznetsk, Soviet Union
6 United States Adam Clendening D R 26 2018 Niagara Falls, New York
17 United States Brandon Dubinsky C/LW L 32 2012 Anchorage, Alaska
18 Canada Pierre-Luc Dubois LW/C L 20 2016 Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec
95 Canada Matt Duchene C L 28 2019 Haliburton, Ontario
19 United States Ryan Dzingel LW L 27 2019 Wheaton, Illinois
71 United States Nick Foligno (C) LW L 31 2012 Buffalo, New York
4 Canada Scott Harrington D L 26 2016 Kingston, Ontario
38 Canada Boone Jenner (A) C L 25 2011 London, Ontario
3 United States Seth Jones (A) D R 24 2016 Arlington, Texas
14 Switzerland Dean Kukan D L 25 2015 Zürich, Switzerland
20 Canada Riley Nash C R 29 2018 Consort, Alberta
65 Finland Markus Nutivaara D L 24 2015 Oulu, Finland
9 Russia Artemi Panarin LW R 27 2017 Korkino, Soviet Union
58 Canada David Savard D R 28 2009 Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
42 France Alexandre Texier C L 19 2017 Grenoble, France
8 United States Zach Werenski D L 21 2015 Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Tampa Bay Lightning[edit]

Updated April 16, 2019[15]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
24 United States Ryan Callahan (A) RW R 34 2014 Rochester, New York
81 Slovakia Erik Cernak D R 21 2017 Košice, Slovakia
71 Canada Anthony Cirelli C L 21 2015 Woodbridge, Ontario
55 Canada Braydon Coburn D L 34 2015 Calgary, Alberta
73 United States Adam Erne LW L 23 2013 New Haven, Connecticut
5 Canada Dan Girardi D R 34 2017 Welland, Ontario
37 Canada Yanni Gourde LW L 27 2014 Saint-Narcisse, Quebec
77 Sweden Victor Hedman D L 28 2009 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
9 United States Tyler Johnson C R 28 2011 Spokane, Washington
7 Canada Mathieu Joseph RW L 22 2017 Laval, Quebec
17 Canada Alex Killorn C L 29 2007 Halifax, Nova Scotia
86 Russia Nikita Kucherov RW L 25 2011 Maykop, Russia
27 United States Ryan McDonagh D L 29 2018 St. Paul, Minnesota
10 United States J. T. Miller C/RW L 26 2018 East Palestine, Ohio
18 Czech Republic Ondrej Palat (A) LW L 28 2011 Frýdek-Místek, Czechoslovakia
13 Canada Cedric Paquette C L 25 2012 Gaspé, Quebec
21 Canada Brayden Point C R 23 2014 Calgary, Alberta
44 Czech Republic Jan Rutta D R 28 2019 Písek, Czechoslovakia
98 Russia Mikhail Sergachev D L 20 2017 Nizhnekamsk, Russia
91 Canada Steven Stamkos (C) C R 29 2008 Markham, Ontario
88 Russia Andrei Vasilevskiy G L 24 2012 Tyumen, Russia

Reactions[edit]

Professional[edit]

Prior to Game 4 between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Maple Leafs' forward Zach Hyman expressed shock over the Lightning's exit from the playoffs. "I don't think Columbus is really an eighth seed. They loaded up at the (trade) deadline. They've got some great players. But Tampa set a bunch of records, so it's pretty surprising." Hyman's teammate Travis Dermott acknowledged a difference between the regular season and postseason, but continued to state: "It's kind of crazy to think such a good team in the regular season can go out in four like that. You never really would have thunk (sic) it."[16] Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy acknowledged that every team had a chance, but also admitted that he did not guess the Lightning would fail to win a single game in the series.[16]

Media[edit]

Tampa Bay Lightning Twitter
@TBLightning

We don't have any words and we know you don't want to hear them. We understand your anger, your frustration, your sadness. Everything you're feeling – we get it. This isn't the ending we imagined, and certainly not the one we wanted. Thank you for being there the entire way.

April 16, 2019[17]

The Tampa Bay Times' sports section greeted the Game 3 result with a headline reading "Torturella". When the Blue Jackets' sweep was confirmed, Tampa Bay Times' frontpage headlines read "Fizzled Sticks" and "Floored". The paper savaged the Lightning for their poor play, suggesting their defeat "was the final chapter in a whole new story of despair. In a way, it was as if an entire community was duped. For six months, the Lightning had you believing you were seeing something historic. And in the end, it was all choke and mirrors."[18]

Meanwhile, Columbus paper The Columbus Dispatch heralded the results, with its frontpage headline reading "A Sweep to Savor".[19] Game 4 of the series delivered a household rating of 9.83 for Fox Sports Ohio, the highest-ever ratings for a Blue Jackets telecast. On average, the series delivered an average of 6.48 HH in the Columbus metropolitan area.[20]

The New York Times described the series' result as a playoff meltdown for the Lightning, suggesting that the Lightning could be amongst the biggest playoff underachievers in sports history.[21] USA Today described the Lightning's exit as one of the worst playoff flops in NHL history, while Deadspin stated "[the Lightning] failed to show up in their first-round series against the tremendously underestimated Columbus Blue Jackets, and they paid the price."[22][23] In an interview on NPR, Greg Wyshynski of ESPN stated the Lightning had to apologize to their fans. Wyshynski went on to state that the only other team in the history of the four major sports leagues in America that failed to win a playoff game after equivalent levels of regular season success was the 2011 Green Bay Packers. "But in [the Packers'] case, we're talking about one game. [The Lightning] is a team that had four chances to win a game, and they couldn't do it."[24]

In Canada, Rory Boylen of Sportsnet described the series as the biggest upset in the salary cap era of the NHL. He postulated that the result may be a culmination of how the Lightning got eliminated in recent seasons, going as far back as their First Round loss in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens. In his words, "time will tell if these Lightning are like the San Jose Sharks – a squad that seemed to have everything in place for years and even got to one Stanley Cup Final, but could never win it all – or if they'll eventually put it together for a successful run as Washington [Capitals] did last season."[25]

Financial[edit]

WFTS-TV reported that the city of Tampa could lose up to $50 million in potential revenue as a result of the sweep.[26] Conversely, in Columbus, merchandise sales tripled as a result of the Blue Jackets' surprise series win.[27]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Merz, Craig (April 16, 2019). "Blue Jackets sweep Lightning in Game 4, which was the first playoff series victory in franchise history". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L. P. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "Quest for the Cup: Blue Jackets and Isles advance". NBC Sports. April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "Blue Jackets acquire Matt Duchene and Julius Bergman from Senators". NHL.com. February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "Blue Jackets acquire Ryan Dzingel, pick from Senators". NHL.com. February 23, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  5. ^ Rosen, Dan (April 5, 2019). "Blue Jackets clinch playoff berth, recover against Rangers". NHL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  6. ^ "AP Source: Steve Yzerman stepping down as Lightning GM". USA Today. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Smith, Joe. "Steve Yzerman stepping down as Lightning general manager". The Athletic. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  8. ^ Nearhos, Diana C. (April 6, 2019). "Lightning ties NHL wins record with No. 62". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Wyshynski, Greg (April 17, 2019). "Cooper: Ousted Lightning victims of own success". ESPN. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  10. ^ @TBLightning (March 10, 2019). "109. Congrats, Kuch!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ "Nikita Kucherov notches 126th point vs. Maple Leafs, the most ever in NHL's salary cap era". CBSSports.com. April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  12. ^ "Lightning's Nikita Kucherov: Breaks major NHL record in Game 82". CBSSports.com. April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  13. ^ "Kucherov wins Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring leader". NHL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  14. ^ Hedger, Brian (April 8, 2020). "Sweep memories | Blue Jackets throttled mighty Lightning a year ago". The Columbus Dispatch. Gannett Co. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "2019 NHL Eastern First Round: CBJ vs. TBL". Hockey-Reference.com. April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Maple Leafs, Bruins reflect on Lightning's 'shocking' playoff exit". Sportsnet. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  17. ^ Tampa Bay Lightning [@TBLightning] (April 17, 2019). "We don't have any words and we know you don't want to hear them. We understand your anger, your frustration, your sadness. Everything you're feeling – we get it. This isn't the ending we imagined, and certainly not the one we wanted. Thank you for being there the entire way" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Romano, John (April 17, 2019). "Lightning becomes the disappointment all others will be measured against". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  19. ^ Fiallo, Josh (April 17, 2019). "A Tale Of Two Cities". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  20. ^ "Columbus Blue Jackets Break TV Ratings Record". Fox Sports. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  21. ^ "Who Owns the Worst Playoff Meltdown? It Almost Has to Be the Lightning". New York Times. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  22. ^ "Lightning, NHL's top regular-season team, gets swept: Here are 8 other postseason flops". USA Today. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  23. ^ "The Lightning Should Spend The Entire Summer With Paper Bags On Their Heads". Deadspin. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  24. ^ "Tampa Bay Lightning Collapses In First Round of NHL Playoffs". NPR. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  25. ^ "A recent history of Tampa Bay Lightning's quiet playoff exits". Sportsnet. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  26. ^ "Bolts season ends in sweep". WFTS-TV. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  27. ^ "Playoff run helps CBJ cash in on merchandise sales". WCMH-TV. April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.

External links[edit]

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