This high-intensity game was filled with twists and turns. In the end, the Lightning rallied from a 3-1 deficit to earn an impressive win against one of the top teams in the NHL.
For the second straight game, circumstances worked against the Lightning. On Sunday in Calgary, they had a quick turnaround in a back-to-back against a rested opponent. This contest was the first home game back after a long road trip, and the Lightning spent much of Monday on a cross-continent flight. Although Minnesota was the road team, the Wild hadn’t played since Saturday.
And the Lightning started poorly. They struggled with their puck play, committing repeated turnovers. An unforced icing led to a d-zone penalty, and the Wild converted on that chance. Mats Zuccarello threw a puck towards the Lightning net, where it hit off Ryan McDonagh’s skate and caromed into the net at 2:28. Minnesota kept up the pressure, recording seven shots on goal during the opening five minutes of the game. But when the Lightning received a power play at 5:08, they began reversing momentum. Although they didn’t score on the man advantage, they generated several good looks on Filip Gustavsson. That trend continued for the rest of the period. The Lightning recorded nine of the frame’s final 12 shots, and they out-attempted Minnesota in the period, 26-17.
Late in the first, Brandon Hagel was called for a post-whistle unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after complaining to referee Kelly Sutherland. The Wild took advantage of that power play—Brock Faber’s center-point shot found its way through a heavy screen and nicked off Andrei Vasilevskiy’s pad before deflecting into the net at 18:49.
The first period also featured two fights: Michael McCarron and Corey Perry early in the frame, then Nick Foligno and Scott Sabourin right after the Faber goal. Although both Lightning players were cut, Jon Cooper mentioned that the fights had a net positive effect of raising the team’s emotional level.
The Lightning got one of the goals back early in the second period during a power play. Brandon Hagel skated downhill from the top of the left circle towards the goal line. Faber moved with him, while Jake Middleton slid to the ice to prevent a backdoor pass to Jake Guentzel. The two Minnesota defensemen left the slot open, and Hagel passed to Brayden Point, who roofed a shot from the hashmarks over Gustavsson’s glove at 5:45.
Then came one of the game’s key segments. The Lightning were called for overlapping penalties, creating a 1:40 five-on-three for Minnesota. The Wild might have broken the game open, but instead, the Lightning killed off both penalties. But the Wild did tally a goal 41 seconds after the second penalty ended, however. On a three-on-two rush, Vladimir Tarasenko’s right-circle shot deflected off the stick of Charle-Edouard D’Astous and caromed inside the far post at 9:51. Having killed off the five-on-three but then still falling behind by two, the Lightning’s play might have dipped. Instead, they got the goal right back. While on his knees, Guentzel swatted a rebound past Gustavsson at 12:27. It was Guentzel’s 300th career goal.
That tally sparked the Lightning, who tied the game less than three minutes later. With Marcus Johansson in the box for holding J.J. Moser, Darren Raddysh drilled in a shot from the top of the right circle past a screened Gustavsson. It was Raddysh’s 20th of the season, tying a Lightning single-season franchise record for goals by a defenseman.
The Wild thought they’d regained the lead with 1:18 remaining. But the Lightning successfully challenged McCarron’s rebound goal for goalie interference, and they won the challenge. Replays showed Bobby Brink pushed Raddysh into Vasilevskiy moments before the goal was scored.
The third period had a playoff-type feel. Although both teams had moments when they made the other side uncomfortable, the Lightning generated the more dangerous looks. Still, with time winding down, the game remained tied. That’s when the Lightning got a bounce.
In the first meeting between the teams on March 3, Yakov Trenin scored a key goal when Vasilevskiy couldn’t cleanly handle a puck that slid to him.
In this game, the hockey gods evened the scales. D’Astous threw the puck down the ice to alleviate pressure. It hit off the end boards and ricocheted towards Gustavsson. The Wild goalie attempted to glove it, but the puck slipped off him and bounced behind him into the crease. Erik Cernak was the first player for either team to rush down the ice, and he slammed the puck into an open net at 17:07.
On the next shift, Vasilevskiy made a point-blank save on Brink to preserve the lead. After the stop, Ryan Hartman cross-checked Pontus Holmberg, and the Lightning went on a power play. The Wild pulled Gustavsson while shorthanded, but Hagel scored an empty-net power-play goal at 18:42. After the Wild pulled the goalie a second time, Holmberg was awarded an empty-netter when he was tripped moments before he would have put the puck into the open goal.
After the sluggish start, the Lightning elevated their play and were deserving of the victory.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Erik Cernak — Lightning. GWG.
- Jake Guentzel — Lightning. 300th career goal, assist.
- J.J. Moser — Lightning.
