Tampa Bay Lightning at Columbus Blue Jackets
NHL game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct 18, 2025. Final score: Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Oct 18, 2025 |
| Venue | Nationwide Arena |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 2 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets score | 3 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Anthony Cirelli | C | 1 | 0 | 4 | 23:06 | 0.24 | 0.80 |
| 2nd | Damon Severson | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19:32 | 0.13 | 0.80 |
| 3rd | Kirill Marchenko | R | 1 | 0 | 5 | 17:30 | 0.49 | 0.80 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Tampa Bay Lightning–Columbus Blue Jackets) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 04:58 | CBJ | Kent Johnson | Boone Jenner, Adam Fantilli | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 12:42 | TBL | Ryan McDonagh | Pontus Holmberg, Erik Cernak | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 1st 16:22 | TBL | Anthony Cirelli | Jake Guentzel, Victor Hedman | 4v5 | 2–1 |
| 2nd 13:59 | CBJ | Damon Severson | Mathieu Olivier, Charlie Coyle | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| 3rd 01:15 | CBJ | Kirill Marchenko | Dmitri Voronkov, Zach Werenski | 5v5 | 2–3 |
Team Comparison
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Columbus Blue Jackets | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 24 | 31 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 5.24 | 2.99 |
| High-danger shots | 14 | 10 |
| Corsi % | 49.6% | 50.4% |
| Power play | 1/3 | 0/2 |
| Faceoff % | 42.9% | 57.1% |
| Hits | 14 | 23 |
| Blocks | 15 | 18 |
| Giveaways | 21 | 18 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 3 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 23:06 | 0.24 | 0.80 |
| Pontus Holmberg | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13:49 | 0.17 | 0.74 |
| Victor Hedman | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 24:23 | 0.30 | 0.69 |
| Ryan McDonagh | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19:55 | 0.06 | 0.60 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16:58 | 0.01 | 0.59 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 20:46 | 1.09 | 0.49 |
| Jack Finley | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:14 | 0.00 | 0.15 |
| Emil Lilleberg | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:36 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18:56 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:51 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Mitchell Chaffee | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:40 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Brayden Point | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:09 | 0.23 | 0.00 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:37 | 0.12 | 0.00 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 23:06 | 0.87 | -0.05 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:39 | 0.01 | -0.05 |
| Conor Geekie | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13:49 | 0.15 | -0.05 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:24 | 0.01 | -0.10 |
| Curtis Douglas | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5:05 | 0.00 | -0.28 |
Columbus Blue Jackets Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damon Severson | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19:32 | 0.13 | 0.80 |
| Kirill Marchenko | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 17:30 | 0.49 | 0.80 |
| Kent Johnson | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13:51 | 0.29 | 0.65 |
| Charlie Coyle | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18:34 | 0.08 | 0.64 |
| Zach Werenski | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25:02 | 0.11 | 0.59 |
| Adam Fantilli | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 15:02 | 0.30 | 0.54 |
| Boone Jenner | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 18:27 | 0.20 | 0.49 |
| Dmitri Voronkov | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14:43 | 0.00 | 0.49 |
| Mathieu Olivier | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15:38 | 0.23 | 0.42 |
| Denton Mateychuk | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21:22 | 0.09 | 0.20 |
| Ivan Provorov | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 24:48 | 0.28 | 0.15 |
| Zachary Aston-Reese | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8:22 | 0.05 | 0.15 |
| Jake Christiansen | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:28 | 0.04 | 0.10 |
| Yegor Chinakhov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6:47 | 0.16 | 0.10 |
| Dante Fabbro | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:51 | 0.01 | 0.05 |
| Isac Lundeström | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:26 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Sean Monahan | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19:17 | 0.03 | 0.00 |
| Cole Sillinger | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:11 | 0.29 | -0.10 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Johansson | Tampa Bay Lightning | 28 | 31 | 90.3% | -0.74 | L |
| Jet Greaves | Columbus Blue Jackets | 22 | 24 | 91.7% | 0.60 | W |
Analysis
The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 on Oct 18, 2025, a one-goal game.
Columbus Blue Jackets generated 2.99 expected goals to Tampa Bay Lightning's 5.24 — Tampa Bay Lightning owned the better of the chances but Columbus Blue Jackets took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Anthony Cirelli led all skaters with a Game Score of 0.8 on 1 goal, 4 shots on goal.
Jet Greaves stopped 22 of 24, worth 0.6 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Tampa Bay Lightning vs Columbus Blue Jackets game?
The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 on Oct 18, 2025.
What was the final score?
The final score was Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Tampa Bay Lightning 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Anthony Cirelli led all skaters at 0.8, on 1G, 0A and 4 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Columbus Blue Jackets generated 2.99 expected goals and Tampa Bay Lightning generated 5.24, so Tampa Bay Lightning created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Tampa Bay Lightning put 24 shots on goal and Columbus Blue Jackets put 31. High-danger chances went 14 to 10.