Conor Garland played his third game as a Columbus Blue Jacket Tuesday in Tampa. In his first two contests with the club, the Jackets fell in overtime each time. In the second game, a Monday afternoon affair with Los Angeles, he scored two goals. On Tuesday, he added two more and Columbus won convincingly, 5-2.

After the game, Garland told FanDuel Network announcers Steve Mears and Jody Shelley, “it’s been three fun games to play in. You’re in every game. We’re competing, we play hard. It’s a fun group to be a part of, real serious group.”

When asked how Garland has fit in, Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness responded quickly, “just watch him play.”

Bowness added, “he fits right in because he’s persistent, he pressures the puck, he hangs on to the puck. Did you see him pushing big Victor (Hedman) at the end? You gotta love the kid’s spunk.”

The win over the Lightning was a complete team effort with Ivan Provorov, Kirill Marchenko, and Dante Fabbro also scoring goals. Sean Monahan and Zach Werenski posted two assists each. Elvis Merzlikins earned the win in net, recording a number of important saves, especially during Tampa Bay’s three unsuccessful power plays.

The standings in the NHL’s Eastern Division remain tight after Tuesday’s slate of games. The Blue Jackets are two points behind Boston for the second wild card spot, three behind Detroit for the top spot. In the Metro Division, Columbus is three points behind Pittsburgh and the Islanders for second and third.

The Blue Jackets now head to South Florida to take on the Panthers for a Thursday game beginning at 7:00 p.m.