Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos slapped the team with a harsh reality check after their 4-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.

“Sometimes I feel like we lose the identity of our team. We've got to figure that out. We've been put in those positions a lot over the years of having the lead in the third & knowing what we do…Ultimately, we didn't play the game that we needed to close that out,” per Lightning beat writer Chris Krenn.

The Lightning took a 2-1 lead at the end of the second period. Steven Stamkos and Conor Sheary each scored a goal in the first 4:42 of the period to give Tampa Bay momentum.

Article Continues Below
Related Tampa Bay Lightning News
Julien BriseBois in middle, one silhouetted Tampa Bay Lightning player on each side (No C or A on jersey please), hockey rink in background
3 Lightning trade candidates after Panthers series lossColin Gallant ·
Yanni Gourde in a florida panthers jersey with the florida panthers logo. Question marks around him. NHL Free Agency, Lightning, Free Agent, Yanni Gourde
3 best Yanni Gourde destinations in 2025 NHL free agencyBryan Logan ·
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and general manager Julien Brisebois speaks during media day for the 2022 Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena.
3 Lightning trade targets after Panthers series lossJordan Llanes ·
Julien BriseBois in middle, Gage Goncalves and Yanni Gourde on either side, hockey rink in background Tampa Bay Lightning
3 early predictions for Lightning offseason after Panthers series lossColin Gallant ·
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) passes the puck against the Florida Panthers during the first period of game five of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena.
Victor Hedman played Games 4 and 5 vs. Panthers with broken footTristin McKinstry ·
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) looks on against the Florida Panthers during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena.
Andrei Vasilevskiy drops fiery NSFW rant on Lightning’s home struggles vs PanthersMichael Whitaker ·

Unfortunately, the Lightning couldn't keep up with the Blue Jackets in the third period. Boone Jenner and Eric Gudbranson scored goals just 2:17 apart to give Columbus the upper hand. Johnny Gaudreau scored an empty-net goal with 2:11 left to put the game out of reach.

The Blue Jackets, one of the worst teams in the NHL last season, ended their four-game losing streak. On the other hand, the Lightning fell to 4-3-3 on the season. Tampa Bay has lost its second straight game after recording back-to-back shutout wins against the San Jose Sharks and Carolina Hurricanes.

Tampa Bay continues to play without No. 1 net minder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who's still recovering from offseason back surgery. For his part, Steven Stamkos is in his 16th season with the Lightning. Contract talks between the two sides will resume at the end of the 2023-24 NHL season.

Stamkos and the Lightning hope to get back on track against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.