The Lightning finally found their openings in Game 3 of their first-round series with the Blue Jackets. They scored in transition, on a set play and with a direct shot, all of which had proven difficult for the team in the first two games.
Saturday's 3-2 win in Toronto gave Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead over Columbus in the first-round series at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.
Columbus goalie Joonas Korpisalo had made the Lightning's collective life difficult, not giving them many looks. They would score on rebounds and deflections until this point.
Alex Killorn opened scoring with the Lightning's first goal off the rush of the series.
He made a heads-up move, faking a pass even after defenseman David Savard had laid out to eliminate the passing late, thus freezing Korpisalo. Killorn then switched to the backhand and slid the puck under the goalie's pad.
Defenseman Zach Bogosian started the play, jarring the puck loose as the Blue Jackets tried to enter the zone. Forward Anthony Cirelli jumped on the puck and passed it to Killorn as they crossed through the neutral zone, with most of Columbus still going in the other direction.
Columbus answered with their own goal off the rush early in the second period. Riley Nash stole the puck and carried it into offensive zone, creating a three-on-one against defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
The tie stood for more than 12 minutes before forward Brayden Point struck for his team-leading fourth goal of the series. He won the faceoff to Korpisalo's left, to wing Nikita Kucherov, while McDonagh sank almost to the opposite dot. Kucherov slid the puck over to McDonagh, who put a wrist shot on net. Korpisalo made the save, but the rebound bounced out to Point, who put it right back on net for the goal.
Defenseman Victor Hedman scored the eventual winner late in the period, his first goal of the postseason. Forward Carter Verhaeghe, playing his first playoff game, held the puck and surveyed the scene to find Hedman trailing behind the play at the top of the slot. Hedman landed a well-placed shot in a rare opening from Korpisalo.
The Blue Jackets came back with one more goal _ Eric Robinson came off the bench with two quick shots, the second of which beat a diving Andrei Vasilevskiy _ but not enough to tie the score.
Vasilevskiy only faced 17 shots in the game, making 15 saves, as the Lightning once again dominated the shot clock, putting 34 on Korpisalo at the other end.
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