LDN - Sports

Wild edge Lightning in shootout

[February 11, 2017] SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild are all but a lock for the playoffs, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are a long shot currently. So the point the Lightning earned in a shootout loss Friday may have been more important in the long run than the two points Minnesota got for winning.

Wild captain Mikko Koivu scored the only goal in the shootout, as Minnesota overcame a stiff challenge by the Lighting, winning 2-1.

Nino Niederreiter also scored on a power play for Minnesota (36-12-6), which got 26 saves from goalie Devan Dubnyk to improve to 3-1-1 in February.

"There wasn't a lot of room out there. There were not a lot of missed assignments. We didn't see a lot of odd-man rushes. That means to me that they were paying attention to details both teams," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau, who said it had the feel of a playoff game. "The atmosphere in the arena, it was loud from the start to the end. You could feel that is was more important than an Eastern team against a Western team."

Brayden Point had the lone goal for the Lightning (24-24-7), who saw their two-game win streak snapped in the process. Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had 37 saves as the Lightning began a four-game road trip on a down note, but stressed the importance of getting a point in the standings.

"That was an even game against a really, really strong team in this league and the guy know that they can play with anybody," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "We've got to keep munching points. It's unfortunate we didn't win the game, but we got one out of it and we can get more tomorrow and head into the break in a good spot."

The Wild dominated the overtime, out-shooting Tampa Bay 5-1. All three Lightning shooters in the shootout -- Point, Jonathan Drouin and Nikita Kucherov -- missed the net wide right.

"We made a push," Cooper said. "We arguably played our best hockey in the last 10 minutes and we tried to win that hockey game. Unfortunately, overtime wasn't our best, but we got out of that."

Each team had a power play in the scoreless first period, in which Minnesota held a 11-9 advantage in shots, and a mid-period fight between Lightning left winger Brian Boyle and Wild defenseman Marco Scandella was about the only thing that got the audience excited.

Minnesota finally broke the deadlock in the waning minutes of the second period. Vasilevskiy turned aside a long-range shot by Mikael Granlund, only to have the rebound shoot to the high slot. Niederreiter managed to backhand the loose puck between the goalie's knees for a 1-0 Wild lead. It was a rare goal scored in a game between two teams known for offense.

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Wild defenseman Ryan Suter (20) defends Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) during the first period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

"I think that it was just one of those weird ones where you see two high-scoring teams play and you think it's going to be a shootout. A lot of times those end up tight," said Wild left winger Zach Parise. "Everyone is focusing so much on (defense) and not turning the puck over. A lot of times, those end up in the one-goal, 2-1 games and that's what tonight was. It was a lot of work to find space on the ice."

The Wild lead didn't last long. Little more than three minutes later, Point re-directed a shot from the blue line by defenseman Jason Garrison. With a Wild defender blocking his view, the puck slid between Dubnyk's knees before he saw it. For Point, it was his third goal in the five games he's played since returning from an upper body injury that had him on the shelf for most of January.

"Getting points is huge for us right now, so anytime we can do that, we're happy," Point said. "Obviously not satisfied, we want two points, but I think we played a better game."

NOTES: The Lightning were without C Tyler Johnson on Friday. He is along on the team's road trip and participated in the team's morning skate, but was scratched with an undisclosed injury. Johnson will travel with the team to their Saturday game in Winnipeg, but his status is currently unknown. RW Erik Condra, recalled on Thursday from the Lightning's AHL team in Syracuse, was in the lineup on Friday instead. ... Former Wild F Ryan Carter, who played in 60 games for Minnesota last season before a shoulder injury ended his campaign early, is attempting a comeback and skated with the team on Friday. He was cut by the team in training camp and had surgery on the shoulder after that, so Carter would need to re-sign with the Wild if they find a role for him. ... Tampa Bay assistant coach Rick Bowness was behind the bench for his 2,165th NHL game on Friday, giving him the league's record for most games coached as a head or assistant coach. The previous mark of 2,164 was held by Scotty Bowman.

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