COLUMBUS, Ohio: Tyler Johnson and the Tampa Bay Lightning lit off some fireworks well ahead of midnight on New Year’s Eve.
The NHL’s best team scored four goals in a span of 7:23 of the second period in a 5-0 rout of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night, sucking the energy out of a sellout crowd.
Johnson scored twice, and Andre Vasilevskiy stopped all 21 shots to get his ninth career shutout. Johnson’s second-period goals extended his point streak to 12 games, tied for the longest in the league this season. He’s got eight goals and 10 assists in that stretch.
Nikita Kucherov got his league-leading 25th goal of the season, and Steven Stamkos and Cory Conacher also scored for the Lightning. Brayden Point, Mikhail Sergachev and Victor Hedman had two assists apiece.
Vasilevskiy didn’t have to work particularly hard in recording his league-leading fifth shutout of the season for the Lightning, who lead the NHL in wins and sit atop the Atlantic Division at 28-8-2.
“I truly believe he’s the best goalie in the world right now,” Johnson said. “He’s unbelievable. The saves he makes, it’s crazy. He’s a guy who works extremely hard, and he has no ceiling. He’s just going to keep getting better.”
Joonas Korpisalo had 30 saves for Columbus. He started in place of Sergei Bobrovsky, who has struggled lately and was rested by coach John Tortorella. The Blue Jackets were 6-6-2 in December and have slipped to third in the Metropolitan Division.
Columbus outshot the Lightning 12-5 in the opening period. They had two power plays and played much of the frame in Tampa Bay’s zone but couldn’t capitalize. The best chance was a clean breakaway by Nick Foligno with 1:35 left, but his shot was knocked down by Vasilevskiy.
“I think we gave up two breakaways at dicey times of the game, and (Vasilevskiy) was there to make the save,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “And when he does that for you, we get a little taller.”
Tampa Bay broke through in the second. Johnson scored his 11th goal of the season with a wrist shot from the right circle, set up nicely by Point. Johnson put in his second goal of the night from the other circle 4:49 into the second, assisted again by Point and Sergachev.
Tampa Bay kept up the flurry at 7:53 when Kucherov buried a wrist shot from the slot. Just short of a minute later, Conacher unloaded a one-timer from the left circle that beat Korpisalo.
The Lightning outshot the Blue Jackets 23-6 in the period.
“They smelled blood, let’s be honest,” said Foligno, the Columbus captain. “We didn’t do anything right in those 10, 12 minutes. We were just whacking pucks away, stick checking. It’s what we do to teams when we smell blood. We got it handed to us.”
Stamkos added the fifth goal 10:36 into the third on a power play, while the Blue Jackets managed just three on-target shots in the entire period.
The Lightning swept the three-game season series from the Blue Jackets.
The frustrated crowd booed the home team off the ice, many leaving before the postgame fireworks display.
Johnson scores twice in Lightning’s 5-0 rout of Columbus
Johnson scores twice in Lightning’s 5-0 rout of Columbus
Dubai Basketball produce dramatic comeback win over Real Madrid
- The 93-85 victory at Coca-Cola Arena secured back-to-back EuroLeague home wins in the span of 48 hours
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball delivered another unforgettable night at Coca-Cola Arena, defeating Real Madrid 93-85 to secure back-to-back EuroLeague home wins in the span of 48 hours.
In front of a fired-up 7,000-strong home crowd, Dubai once again turned the arena into one of the most difficult venues in the competition, overpowering one of the most decorated teams in European basketball through sheer energy.
The night did not start easily for the home side. Real Madrid imposed themselves early, opening up a lead and testing Dubai’s resilience. But as the game wore on, the atmosphere inside Coca-Cola Arena began to shift. Defensive stops sparked momentum, the crowd found its voice, and Dubai surged back into the contest with renewed intensity.
Dubai flipped the game late in the third quarter, igniting the arena with a relentless run that changed the tone of the night. From there, the home side never looked back. Defensive pressure, composed execution and confidence on both ends allowed Dubai to close out the game in style, holding Real Madrid scoreless from the field for long stretches of the final quarter.
Dubai’s first signing of the new season, Dzanan Musa, led the charge against his former club with a standout performance, while McKinley Wright, Filip Petrusev and Dwayne Bacon delivered key moments at crucial stages. Dubai’s latest signing, Bruno Caboclo, made an impact on both ends, which lifted the team during the comeback, and Aleksa Avramovic controlled the tempo as Dubai powered to another statement win.
Head Coach Jurica Golemac praised both the team’s mentality and the role of the home crowd, saying, “It was an extremely tense game. The last 15 minutes, we found our rhythm and the fans gave us this extra push. Against one of the best teams in the EuroLeague, to finish like this shows our character. We believe we can beat anybody.”
The victory marks another milestone in Dubai Basketball’s debut EuroLeague season, reinforcing Coca-Cola Arena’s growing reputation as one of the toughest home courts in the league.
As the season enters its decisive phase, belief continues to build — on the court, in the stands, and across the city — with Dubai Basketball firmly in the fight for the post-regular season phase.
