Lightning beat Blue Jackets 7-2 to stop 3-game slide

By NICOLE KRAFT
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ondrej Palat had two goals and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning trounced the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-2 to break a three-game losing streak. Brayden Point added a goal and two assists for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, who scored three power-play goals. Corey Perry and Patrick Maroon each had a goal and an assist, Anthony Cirelli contributed two assists, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Alex Killorn also scored. Gus Nyquist provided a goal and an assist for an illness-ravaged Columbus team, which dropped its fourth in a row against the Lightning. Dean Kukan also scored for the Blue Jackets. Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 20 shots in his 17th win, tying Frederik Andersen of Carolina for the NHL lead.