The Tampa Bay Lightning ended up getting swept in the first round of the playoffs after one of the best regular seasons ever as the Columbus Blue Jackets capped a stunning sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy winners with a 7-3 victory Tuesday night.
The crowd in Columbus was loud and excited, however, star player Artemi Panarin was over the moon. You could tell Lightning players were devastated by the loss, but the Russian sniper didn’t care.
During the hand shake ceremony, Panarin went up to his friend Nikita Kucherov of the Bolts to celebrate his win. However, he didn’t seem so happy to congratulate him…
The Lightning was left speechless after the shocking elimination and clearly enough Kucherov couldn’t find the words to tell his friend off.
It had to be even more frustrating for Kucherov, seeing that he was suspended for the third contest of the series for his questionable actions in the second game of the series. With 4:26 remaining in Friday night's 5-1 home loss in Game 2, Kucherov tripped Marcus Nutivaara, who slid into the boards. As the Blue Jackets defenseman tried to get back on his feet, Kucherov hit his head into the boards again.
The Lightning forward, who led the NHL with 128 points during the regular season, was assessed a minor tripping penalty, a major for boarding and a game misconduct.
The Jackets will face off in the second round against the winner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins series.
In the meantime, Panarin can take all the time he wants to celebrate this win over his buddy and the Lighting.
