Wild 1, Lightning 0
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk won a goaltending battle in a game in which, fittingly, a defenseman scored the lone goal as the Wild escaped with a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in front of 19,066 at Xcel Energy Center.
Dubnyk made 30 saves to earn his 16th career shutout and second of the season and defenseman Jared Sprurgeon's second-period goal stood up as the difference as Minnesota raised its record to 8-3-2. The Lightning fell to 7-7-2 but goaltender Ben Bishop's 25 saves kept Tampa Bay within striking distance all night.
After the Lightning carried the play most of a scoreless first period, it was the Wild that took the game's first lead just 26 seconds into the second on Spurgeon's second goal of the year. Wild left winger Charlie Coyle was stopped by Bishop on successive shots but maintained possession before finding Spurgeon who fired wrist shot through traffic from the right point.
The goal gave Minnesota an immediate lift as the Wild reeled off the period's first seven shots 13 of 18 overall in the middle 20 minutes. But Bishop was up to the task with key stops on Wild center Mikko Koivu, left winger Jason Zucker and right winger Christoph Bertschy.
In addition to the goal, the second period was a costly one for Tampa Bay in that it lost left winger Ondrej Palat to a lower-body injury near the eight-minute mark and he did not return.
Dubnyk was the story of a fast-paced opening period that saw the Lightning outshoot the Wild 13-7.
Dubnyk's stick save on Tampa Bay center Tyler Johnson’s shot from the slot went right to Palat near the left post but the bouncing puck handcuffed him and he was denied by Dubnyk's right pad.
Later in the period, with Dubnyk out of his crease, Lightning left winger Alex Killorn wheeled behind the net and found defenseman Anton Stralman for a one-timer from the right circle. But Dubnyk quickly slid to his left to fill the vacated net and make the save.
NOTES: Wild LW Zach Parise sat out Saturday's game and is listed as week-to-week after sustaining a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in Thursday night's home loss to Nashville. ... RW Christoph Bertschy was recalled from the Wild's AHL affiliate in Iowa to fill Parise's roster spot and made his NHL debut against the Lightning. ... The Wild earned its first-ever franchise win, 6-5, against the Lightning at Xcel Energy Center on Oct. 8, 2000. ... Tampa Bay LW Jonathan Drouin returned from a five-game absence due to a lower-body injury. ... Lightning D Matt Carle, a healthy scratch on Thursday in Buffalo, returned to the lineup to face the Wild. ... Minnesota concludes its three-game homestand on Tuesday hosting the Edmonton Oilers. ... Tonight’s game marks the end of a four-game road trip for Tampa Bay. The Lightning welcomes the Buffalo Sabres to Amalie Arena on Tuesday.