Hagel scores twice as Lightning beat Blue Jackets 3-1 for 5th win in 6 games

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Brandon Hagel had two goals and an assist and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Thursday for their second victory in two nights and fifth in their last six games.

Jake Guentzel scored in his 700th NHL game and added an assist, and Nikita Kucherov had two assists a night after having a natural hat trick in an 8-3 victory in Buffalo.

Dennis Hildeby stopped 28 shots for Tampa Bay, and joined Sean Burke as the only goalies in Lightning history with at least one standings point in each of their first five starts with the team.

The Blue Jackets have lost three straight. Matthew Knies scored his first goal since opening night, ending a 15-game drought. Jet Greaves stopped 25 shots for Columbus.

Hagel gave Tampa Bay the lead at 2:57 of the first period. Kucherov’s assist was his 16th against Columbus since Feb. 10, 2024, and extended his points streak against the Blue Jackets to eight games.

Knies pulled Columbus even with a power-play goal with 7:40 left in the first, giving him 12 goals and 19 points in 13 career games against the Lightning.

The goal also sparked 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.

The Lightning appeared to take the lead with 4:42 left in the second period, but Hagel’s goal was waved off for a high stick.

Guentzel put Tampa Bay ahead for good at 1:06 of the third period on a shot Greaves initially appeared to stop before the puck trickled under his pads. Hagel added the insurance goal at 7:41, his fifth in three games.

Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan left the game after suffering an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return.

Lightning: Host Detroit on Saturday night.

Blue Jackets: Host Philadelphia on Saturday night.

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