Lightning throttles mistake-prone Wild 7-3, breaking game open late

TAMPA, Fla. – The Wild blew an early lead.

They coughed up the puck.

They made poor decisions.

But they were still in the game, on the brink of going into the third period behind by only a goal.

Then the Wild sabotaged themselves.

The Lightning’s No. 1-ranked power play scored on all three of their looks, including twice in the third, to storm away 7-3 on Thursday at Amalie Arena and deflate the Wild after their 5-0 blowout vs. the Islanders earlier in the week.

“The game’s at 4-3, and when you give a top power-play unit that many opportunities with the types of penalties we took in the situations we took, that’s the difference in the game,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “It’s not so much about the penalty kill. It’s about the management and understanding time and score and the situations, and tonight when it was in the balance down by one, down by two, we shot ourselves in the foot.”

Trailing 4-3 after Jake Middleton’s backhander sailed by Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevsky (30 saves) with 15 seconds left in the second for his third point of the evening, Marcus Johansson was assessed a high-sticking penalty at the end of the period.

Only 1:09 into the third, Steven Stamkos’ shot banked off Brock Faber’s right arm and into the net to give the Lightning a two-goal cushion that expanded to a three-goal buffer when Mikey Eyssimont pounced on a bouncing puck at 6:59 while Kirill Kaprizov served a tripping penalty.

Anthony Cirelli polished off the rout with 2:08 to go, a grim display by the Wild defense in its first game since the team announced captain Jared Spurgeon will be undergoing season-ending surgery.

“That’s the things that we continue to work with this team on is you gotta work hard but you gotta work smart,” Hynes said. “Tonight, when the game was in the balance in those situations, they had a one-goal lead, [then] a two-goal lead, and we take penalties that you cannot take.”

NHL standings

Tampa Bay’s 3-for-3 night boosted the NHL’s best power play to a whopping 31% efficiency, while the Wild blanked on their two chances.

“Their power play is deadly, and we couldn’t keep it out,” said goalie Filip Gustavsson, who had 31 saves and dropped his second consecutive game since returning from injury.

The Wild penalty kill remains last in the league at 71.3%.

“We have to figure out our PK,” Faber said. “It obviously falls on my shoulders as much as anyone.”

After slick passing by the Wild set up Joel Eriksson Ek for his team-leading 18th goal only 5:17 into the first period, it looked like the Wild were picking up where they left off from Monday’s shutout.

Wrong.

The Lightning scored three in a row, beginning with Victor Hedman’s booming shot (6:12), a Cirelli finish on the power play (16 seconds into the second) and Waltteri Merela’s first NHL goal (3:20).

Hynes called a timeout.

“We talk a lot about puck management, put it in good spots when you’re under pressure,” Hynes said. “We didn’t come out with that mindset, and I wanted to try to nip it in the bud.”

BOXSCORE: Tampa Bay 7, Wild 3

Sign up for our Wild Update newsletter

The Wild improved initially: Marco Rossi had a slam-dunk tap-in at 10:52 after Middleton threw the puck toward the net.

But then Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point buried his own rebound after a turnover by Faber, the eventual game-winner after Middleton scored and the penalty trouble stalled the Wild’s rally.

“It’s really frustrating,” Middleton said. “I don’t even know what answers I’ve got.”

This was the Wild’s fifth loss in their past six games; they have won only twice over the past 11, bleak results considering the playoff pace in the Western Conference isn’t slowing down.

“Obviously, we’re running out [of time], but no one in this locker room is losing hope or faith,” Faber said. “We know we can win hockey games, and it’s just doing that on a nightly basis that we’re still trying to find.”