Blue Jackets sweep Lightning for 1st-ever series win
The Columbus Blue Jackets have pulled off the unthinkable, eliminating the 62-win Tampa Bay Lightning from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a four-game, first-round sweep with a 7-3 victory Tuesday night.
It's the first series win in the history of the Blue Jackets franchise, and the first time in the modern era that a Presidents' Trophy winner has been swept in the first round, according to Sportsnet Stats.
Columbus blitzed Tampa once again to start Game 4, scoring two goals in the opening four minutes to set the tone. The Lightning clawed back to make it 3-3 in the second period, but a power-play marker from Oliver Bjorkstrand with 1:14 remaining in the middle frame put the Jackets back up for good. They added three empty-netters late in the third to seal the deal.
Tampa Bay entered the playoffs as the overwhelming favorite to win the Stanley Cup after accruing 128 regular-season points. The Blue Jackets, on the other hand, were the final team in the Eastern Conference to qualify for the postseason, sneaking in as the second wild-card seed on the second-last day of the regular season.
The Blue Jackets are the first team to advance in the 2019 playoffs and will face the winner of the Maple Leafs-Bruins series in Round 2.