Brandon Hagel Scores Twice as Lightning Beat Blue Jackets 3-1 for Fifth Win in Six Games

Brandon Hagel scored twice and added an assist Thursday night as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 at Nationwide Arena, the Lightning's second win in as many nights and their fifth in the last six games.

The victory kept Tampa Bay atop the Atlantic Division and extended one of the hottest stretches by any team in the Eastern Conference. A night after routing Buffalo 8-3, the Lightning leaned on their top line again to put away a struggling Columbus club.

Hagel leads the way

Hagel opened the scoring at 2:57 of the first period, tipping home a shot assisted by Charle-Edouard D'Astous and Nikita Kucherov. He added an insurance goal at 7:41 of the third, a slap shot off feeds from Jake Guentzel and Kucherov. It was Hagel's fifth goal in three games.

Guentzel, playing in his 700th NHL game, scored the go-ahead goal at 1:06 of the third period on a shot that trickled under Columbus goaltender Jet Greaves, and he assisted on Hagel's second. Kucherov collected two assists a night after recording a natural hat trick in Buffalo, giving the Lightning star points in eight consecutive games against the Blue Jackets.

The goals, confirmed through the NHL game sheet, came in this order.

Hildeby keeps rolling

Dennis Hildeby stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced for Tampa Bay and, in doing so, joined Sean Burke as the only goaltenders in Lightning history to earn at least one standings point in each of their first five starts with the club. The lone goal against came on the power play.

At the other end, Greaves finished with 25 saves for Columbus, which has now lost three in a row and fell to 7-10-0.

A line carrying the load

Tampa Bay's top-end talent has driven the recent run. The night before, in an 8-3 win at Buffalo, Kucherov recorded a natural hat trick and John Carlson piled up five points, and the Lightning carried that offensive form into Columbus even on the second half of a back-to-back. Kucherov's assist on Hagel's opening goal was his 16th point against the Blue Jackets since Feb. 10, 2024, and it extended his points streak against Columbus to eight games.

Guentzel's milestone added a layer to the night. The forward reached 700 career NHL games and marked it with a goal and an assist, continuing a strong stretch as he has settled in alongside Kucherov and Hagel. The trio combined for the bulk of Tampa Bay's offense and did most of its damage at even strength.

Knies ends a drought

Matthew Knies pulled Columbus even with a power-play goal with 7:40 left in the first period, his first goal since opening night and the end of a 15-game drought. The score gave him 12 goals and 19 points in 13 career games against Tampa Bay, but it was all the offense the Blue Jackets could muster.

The goal also touched off a pair of fights off consecutive faceoffs, with Mathieu Olivier taking on Scott Sabourin before Ryan Lomberg and Jeffrey Viel dropped the gloves two seconds later. Columbus forward Sean Monahan left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return, a further setback for a club already searching for offense.

Columbus keeps sinking

The loss deepened a difficult stretch for the Blue Jackets, who have now dropped three in a row and fallen to 7-10-0. Columbus has struggled badly in recent games, and while Knies' power-play goal offered a brief spark, the team managed just 29 shots and could not solve Hildeby when it mattered. Greaves kept the game within reach with 25 saves, but the Blue Jackets were unable to generate the kind of sustained pressure that might have forced overtime.

For a Columbus team that leaned on special teams to stay close, Thursday followed a familiar pattern: an early lead surrendered, a quiet middle of the game, and an opponent's top line taking over late. The home crowd of 15,101 at Nationwide Arena saw the Blue Jackets outscored 2-0 in the third period.

A goal waved off

The Lightning appeared to take the lead with 4:42 left in the second period, but Hagel's apparent goal was waved off for a high stick. Tampa Bay waited until the third period to break the tie, and once it did, the result was never in doubt.

Where Tampa Bay stands

At 13-4-2 for 28 points, the Lightning lead the Atlantic Division, level on points with Montreal and a point clear of Boston at the top of a tight standings table. The back-to-back wins both came on the road, part of a run that has seen Tampa Bay win five of its last six.

The strong start has unfolded against the backdrop of an unresolved question about the team's best player. Kucherov requested a trade last month and said he would not re-sign with Tampa Bay, but general manager Julien BriseBois said the club has no intention of moving him. Whatever the off-ice uncertainty, Kucherov has stayed productive on it, and the Lightning have kept winning with him driving the offense. Hildeby, meanwhile, has given the team unexpected stability in net, a welcome development for a franchise that has leaned on Andrei Vasilevskiy for a decade.

What's next

The Lightning return to Amalie Arena on Saturday night to host the Detroit Red Wings, who will arrive on a five-game losing streak after a 5-4 defeat in Sunrise. For Tampa Bay, it will be a third game in four nights, a test of the depth that has carried the team through a demanding early-season stretch. Columbus hosts Philadelphia the same night as it tries to halt its skid.

The bigger picture for the Lightning is encouraging. A fast start has them atop the Atlantic Division despite the swirl around Kucherov, and the emergence of Hildeby in goal has eased one of the preseason's biggest questions. If the top line keeps producing at its current rate, Tampa Bay looks poised to stay in the division race deep into the winter.