Fresh off a third period meltdown and subsequent loss to the New Jersey Devils, the Tampa Bay Lightning failed to hold another multi-goal lead late in the game Sunday evening. They allowed the Minnesota Wild to score twice in the final three minutes of regulation, but held on for a 5-4 shootout win.
Game Recap
Period 1:
Coming off a blown game Saturday afternoon, the Lightning started this game fast. They were first to many pucks and looked exactly like an angry team. That paid off early, as Alex Goligoski was penalized for high-sticking Boris Katchouk seconds into the game.
On the ensuing power play, the Bolts wasted little time getting set up. Victor Hedman then shot the puck on net, with Anthony Cirelli getting a piece and redirecting it past Wild netminder Kaapo Kahkonen. That made it 1-0.
Tampa Bay continued with the pressure, keeping the Wild on their heels. About 10 minutes after Cirelli opened the scoring, Pat Maroon scored on a rocket shot that was in and out of the net so fast the referees were unsure if the puck had totally crossed the line or not. After a brief review, the goal was deemed to be good and the Lightning took a 2-0 lead.
Not long after that, Jan Rutta was sent to the penalty box. The Wild took full advantage of that, with Marcus Foligno tipping Matt Dumba’s shot past Brian Elliott to cut the lead to 2-1.
Things got testy from there, as Ryan Hartman’s slew foot on Ross Colton not only landed him a two minute penalty but also a fight with Zach Bogosian to end the period.
Period 2:
After a solid first 20 minutes, the Lightning entered the middle frame hoping to keep their mojo.
It worked initially, but a defensive lapse nearly four minutes in proved costly. Brandon Duhaime’s wrist shot beat Elliott to tie things at two apiece.
Late in the period, Tampa Bay got their legs going again. A flurry around Kahkonen got the Wild out of sync defensively and Cirelli made them pay, scoring his second goal of the night to give the Bolts back the lead at 3-2.
Period 3:
Entering the final frame, the Lightning needed to focus on playing championship caliber defense while making the most of what chances they got offensively.
The first 10 minutes were a clinic, as the Bolts limited the Wild’s chances and cleared rebounds with relative ease.
Rookie Alex Barre-Boulet, called up from Syracuse to replace the injured Brayden Point, scored off a Steven Stamkos shot to extend the lead to 4-2 midway through the third.
From there, things went south. With Kahkonen pulled for the extra attacker, Kevin Fiala got the Wild within one.
Clinging to a one goal lead with less than a minute remaining in regulation, Joel Eriksson Ek beat Elliott to tie the game at four. That sent this game to overtime.
Overtime:
Both teams went to extra time hungry for the second point. Things went back and forth, with each getting a few good shots off. None went in though, so the game headed to a shootout.
Stamkos beat Kahkonen, while Elliott stopped Mats Zuccarello, Fiala and 2021 Rookie of the Year Kirill Kaprisov to give the Bolts a 5-4 win.
Game Notes:
- Brayden Point missed this game and is out indefinitely after a bad collision into the end boards against the Devils Saturday afternoon.
- The Lightning blew a two-goal lead for the second time in 24 hours. They blew a late lead for the third straight game.
- After a prolonged slump, the power play is beginning to show slivers of hope, with at least one goal in the past few games.
- Pat Maroon scored a goal in back to back games.
- Anthony Cirelli’s two goal game against the Wild was his first this season.
- Victor Hedman extended his point streak to five games. Only three defensemen have posted longer runs in 2021-22: Seth Jones (8 GP w/ CHI), Brent Burns (6 GP w/ SJS) and Oliver Kylington (6 GP w/ CGY).
- The Wild tied the game with 39 seconds remaining in regulation. It marks the third time the team has scored a game-tying goal in 2021-22 (also Oct. 19 vs. WPG & Nov. 6 at PIT). Minnesota is 2-0 in its previous two instances.
Next Up
After a busy weekend, the Lightning will look to rest and correct their issues holding leads when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night, November 23. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM EST.