Lightning put points streak on line vs. revitalized Blue Jackets
Charlie Coyle keeps clicking off games played and the Columbus Blue Jackets keep counting wins after a coaching change as they await the arrival of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL's hottest club, for a Saturday night visit.
In his first season with the Blue Jackets, the 33-year-old forward has 10 goals (199 career) and 30 points in 50 games, but he was the focal point in Columbus' 1-0 home win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday because of a four-digit number.
After Anaheim's Alex Killorn hit 1,000 games played Wednesday, Coyle joined Nashville captain Roman Josi a night later as players suiting up and skating in a milestone match.
With plenty of support from family and friends -- "A revolving door of Bostonians," the Weymouth, Mass., native said -- Coyle saw his teammates commemorate the occasion in warmups by wearing his No. 3 jersey with a giant "1K" high on the sleeve and "Coyle" on the nameplate.
They later mobbed him at the bench as the Blue Jackets held on behind 28 saves by goaltender Jet Greaves, who logged his first shutout of the season and the third of his career.
Coyle, a fierce defender, said on the FanDuel Sports Network Ohio broadcast, "These things are good, but you enjoy them more when you win."
Winning has been the early model for the Blue Jackets under coach Rick Bowness, who has passed along a defense-first mentality since being hired last week. He came on when the club fired Dean Evason, and Columbus is 4-1-0 under Bowness' watch.
"That's how we want to play," Bowness said of the 1-0 victory. "This wasn't just a one-off performance, but rather a benchmark for the team's identity."
The Blue Jackets welcomed back two forwards against Dallas: winger Mason Marchment, who had an eight-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and center Isac Lundestrom, who missed 12 games because of a lower-body injury, then sat out one more contest as a healthy scratch.
The latter assisted on defenseman Zach Werenski's decisive goal in the first period.
The Blue Jackets will face off on Saturday with a opponent completing a road back-to-back.
The Lightning emerged with a 2-1 shootout win over the host Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Nikita Kucherov scored a second-period goal as Tampa Bay stretched its points streak to 15 games (14-0-1), the third-longest run in franchise history, but the young Blackhawks made it difficult.
Just as they did against the visiting Sharks on Tuesday, the Lightning fell behind 1-0 in the first period, but they managed a comeback to keep banking points. Tampa Bay ended up topping San Jose 4-1.
At Chicago, Lightning forward Brandon Hagel was stung so hard by a blocked shot that he had to leave the game and go to the dressing room in the first period. However, in the second period, Hagel slipped a pass to Kucherov that the right winger potted for the tying tally.
In the shootout, Kucherov and Gage Goncalves scored for Tampa Bay before Dominic James netted the game-deciding goal in the bottom of the fifth round. The Lightning improved their road point streak to a team-record 13 games (11-0-2), and they are 8-1-1 in the first half of back-to-back sets.
James came through while participating in his first career shootout.
"I don't know if I was nervous or excited for the opportunity," he said. "Everyone's booing you. We're on the road, and we've got a streak going. You're happy to be in that position."