Niklas Backstrom makes 37 saves to lead Minnesota Wild past Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning learned about the Minnesota Wild's top game the hard way as they were served a 4-1 loss on Sunday 14 November, courtesy of the Wild’s potent combination of offence
and solid goaltending.
How it happened
The Wild opened the scoring with a power play marker from enforcer Cal Clutterbuck at 7:16 of the first period. Tampa then got a power play goal of their own at 11:31 from Martin St. Louis.
St. Louis used a slap shot to beat goalie Niklas Backstrom, but it was the only time that the Lightning would do so. John Madden then got his third goal of the season past Dan Ellis at 12:55 to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead. Antti Miettinen then made it 3-1 at
19:30 after his wrist shot found the back of the net on the power play.
After a second period that left the score sheet untouched, Eric Nystrom scored an insurance goal into an empty Lightning net at 19:11 of the third period to seal the victory for the Wild.
The goal was Nystrom’s first of the 2010-11 campaign, and it game the team a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay.
Backstrom was stellar in the Wild net, making 37 saves on 38 shots to earn the win. Ellis stopped 14 of 17 shots, thus earning the loss.
What they’re saying
A strong start is often the difference between a win and a loss, and Backstrom was lucky to have gotten a good start over the Lightning.
“It’s easier when you get a good start,” Backstrom told reporters after the game. “You can play your own game. You don't have to take too many chances.”
Despite outshooting the Wild by a margin of 38-18, the Lightning’s shooters were stymied by Backstrom’s solid play. This did not sit well with Steven Stamkos, who saw his four-game goal-scoring
streak come to an end.
“Again, (another) one of those games where we double the shots of the other team and can’t get a goal,” Stamkos said.
Despite being outshot by the opposition, John Madden was happy his team pulled off a big win.
“We had 34 shots in Atlanta (Thursday) and we got one goal, so tonight we capitalized on our chances,” Madden said. “As long as we get two points, I’m not really concerned about how many
shots we get. I’ll take quality over quantity any day.”
Both teams will return to action on Wednesday 17 November. The Lightning will visit the New York Islanders, while the Wild will host the Anaheim Ducks.
Tags: