Lightning at Wild
The Tampa Bay Lightning are struggling on both ends of the ice as they prepare to take on a stretch of eight straight games on the road, starting with a matchup against the well-rested Minnesota Wild on Saturday night. The NHL-best Lightning have won only twice during a six-game span (2-3-1) for the second time this season and ran off seven straight victories the last time they faced that scenario, but opponents have outscored them 9-2 in the last two contests.
“We need to take a look in the mirror, starting with myself, and give more of a passionate performance,” Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos told reporters after a 4-1 loss to Vegas on Thursday that followed the league-mandated five-day break. “You just can’t go out there and expect to win. We need to play better, there’s no sugarcoating it.” The Lightning earned a 3-0 home victory on Dec. 23 to improve to 3-0-1 in the last four games against Minnesota, which plays for the first time since Jan. 14 after notching at least a point in six of the previous seven contests (4-1-2). The Wild, who own a 15-4-4 record on home ice, sit in the middle of a crowded race for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and are 1-0-1 during their four-game homestand. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk has allowed two or fewer goals in five of his seven starts since returning from injury and boasts a 1.89 goals-against average along with a .930 save percentage lifetime versus the Lightning.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (31-11-3): Tampa Bay is giving up too many prime scoring opportunities over the last six contests and All-Star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has not been able to save the team, allowing 19 goals in his past four starts. Former first-round pick Slater Koekkoek moved into the lineup in place of injured All-Star defenseman Victor Hedman (lower body) in Thursday’s contest and the six blueliners struggled to keep the swift-skating Golden Knights from creating chances. Right wing Nikita Kucherov had an assist in the loss against Vegas and leads the league with 61 points while left wing Ondrej Palat snapped a 21-game goal drought.
ABOUT THE WILD (24-17-5): Jason Zucker has goals in back-to-back games, Mikael Granlund owns six points (two goals) in the past four contests and captain Mikko Koivu boasts four assists in four outings as the trio has seemed to regain its mojo. “They’re working together,” Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau told the Star Tribune. “They’re moving their legs, they’re skating and when they do that, that’s what happens is they’re a tough line to play against.” Veteran center Eric Staal managed one point in four games before the break, but still leads the team with 38 and has accumulated 70 (including 33 goals) in 70 career games against Tampa Bay.
OVERTIME
1. Minnesota D Ryan Suter, who is second in the league in average ice time (26:49), has five points in his last five games.
2. Tampa Bay scored with the man advantage Thursday, but is 5-for-39 on the power play over its last 12 contests.
3. Wild C Matt Cullen is one point shy of 700 for his career, but has been kept off the scoresheet in six consecutive games.