Lightning Defeat the Wild 7-3 for 4th Straight Win
The Lightning grab two more points Thursday night in their hunt for a playoff spot.
© Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports - Lightning Defeat the Wild 7-3 for 4th Straight WinThe Lightning had goals from Victor Hedman, Anthony Cirelli (2 goals), Waltteri Merelä (his first NHL goal), Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos & Mikey Eyssimont last night.
Minnesota opened the scoring early, but the Lightning responded quickly and continued to do that throughout the entirety of the game, grabbing their fourth-straight win.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 30 of the 33 shots he faced, including a huge save on Connor Dewar’s shorthanded breakaway in the first period.
Nikita Kucherov hit two more milestones last night, becoming the first player to hit 75 points in the NHL this season. He also snagged his 500th assist on Stamkos’ power-play goal. He continues to lead the NHL in points.
After a slight drop, the Lightning went 3-for-3 on the power play for the second consecutive game. They maintained consistency for the majority of the night and held the advantage over Minnesota in special teams, shots on goal, scoring chances, and shot attempts.
“We’ve come home and added some big wins.. our game is getting more consistent on the good side of things,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.
The Lightning will play seven of their next nine games on the road where they’ve struggled to put together a full 60 minutes. Regardless of their road record, they’re starting to feel more consistent as they prepare for this next road trip against Buffalo, Detroit and Philly. It’s Go-Time.
“I'd say the biggest thing, regardless of who's in the lineup, we're just not turning the puck over and we're playing a much more responsible game,” Cooper said of the changes they’ve made to their game.
“When you do that, in the end, you're just limiting your chances to give freebies to the other team, which has been an issue for us, especially in the first half. We've limited that. When we manage the puck, we're actually doing okay."