Wild edge Lightning in shootout
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Mikko Koivu scored the only goal in a shootout, as the Minnesota Wild overcame a stiff challenge by the Tampa Bay Lighting, winning 2-1 on Friday.
Nino Niederreiter also scored for Minnesota (36-12-6), which got 26 saves from goalie Devan Dubnyk to improve to 3-1-1 in February.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.