The Lightning needed less than 90 seconds in period two before ballooning their lead, as Jake Guentzel redirected a Victor Hedman pass near the blue paint. Tampa Bay’s captain extended the Lightning lead with his windup shot from the left wall that bounced off a Columbus player and beat Merzlikins in the top left corner of the net.

Zach Werenski scored twice, and Elvis Merzlikins made 34 saves for the Blue Jackets (30-23-8), who had won four straight. It was Columbus’ first game since defeating the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.