TAMPA, Fla. _ This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
The Lightning started Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Blue Jackets much like they played the regular season: in control, taking a 3-0 lead in the first period.
Then the Blue Jackets climbed back into the game.
What started out as a statement from Tampa Bay turned into a message from Columbus.
The Blue Jackets scored four unanswered goals over the final two periods to get a 4-3 win at Amalie Arena.
Tampa Bay knew its 62 regular-season wins and Presidents' Trophy didn't mean anything, but if anyone needed a reminder, Columbus made that clear.
"Our mentality has to be when we get in this situation to shut teams down, not to add to the lead," Jon Cooper said of the three-goal lead. "When you have the mentality that you want to outscore teams, these are the things that can happen."
The Lightning started to get sloppy in the second period, and turnovers became a problem. Breakdowns created openings for the Blue Jackets, and Columbus seized those opportunities.
The first period was all Tampa Bay. The third line did it all. Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli and J.T. Miller started, took care of Columbus' top trio and then got the scoring started.
Killorn scored the first goal of the playoffs, a shorthanded breakaway four minutes into the game. Cirelli scored midway through the period on a rebound. Then in the final minutes, Yanni Gourde tipped Mikhail Sergachev's shot for another goal.
The Lightning had a 3-0 lead and looked like they could just pick up where they left off in the regular season and roll over Columbus. A period doesn't make a game, however.
A tough pinch considering the lead led to a turnover to put the Columbus on the board in the second period. Ryan McDonagh's pass back to Erik Cernak was tipped by Josh Anderson. Nick Foligno picked up the puck and sprung himself on a breakaway to put the Blue Jackets on the board midway through the period and breath some life into Columbus.
Cooper called that goal the perfect example of the Lightning trying to get one more goal when it didn't need one. He still believed his team had momentum at that point, though. It was in the third period that Tampa Bay's game fell apart.
Victor Hedman's attempt to clear the puck off the boards led directly to the goal that really got Columbus going. David Savard picked the puck up, beat Hedman in open ice and scored to start a streak of three Blue Jackets goals in the game's final 12 minutes.
Four minutes later, Anderson scored on a rush. He also beat Hedman on his way to the net and then put a wrister on Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Two minutes after that, Seth Jones put the Blue Jackets on top on a power play. The goal came from a set play. Columbus cycled the puck, and Jones took a wrist shot from the high slot while Cam Atkinson screened Vasilevskiy.
The Lightning kicked the desperation up after that, but it was too late. The tide had turned. Columbus's message had been sent: Tampa Bay might be the favorite, but it is going to have to work its way through the first round.
The pressure is on for Game 2.
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