Consult the reports of the games played Sunday in the NHL.
Lightning seize shootout win
Steven Stamkos scored the only shootout goal to give the Tampa Bay Lightning the victory over the Minnesota Wild. Brian Elliott got the job done on the other end of the ice blocking the opposing three shooters to earn a 5-4 victory.
The Lightning should never have come to this. He let slip a two-goal lead late in the third period to find himself in a tiebreaker.
The Wild came from behind, scoring two goals in 2:09 after removing their goalie in favor of a sixth skater. First Kevin Fiala, then Joel Eriksson Ek beat Elliott. The Wild were unable to take a power play of about a minute and a half in overtime, however.
In the Lightning camp, we could count on two goals from Anthony Cirelli and one goal each from Pat Maroon and Alex Barré-Boulet. Elliott made 28 saves.
Marcus Foligno and Brandon Duhaime were the Wild’s other scorers. Kaapo Kahkonen blocked 20 shots.
Cirelli gave Lighning a 3-2 lead by scoring on a throw-back with 2:53 left in the second period. Barré-Boulet doubled the lead in the middle of the third from the right circle when Stamkos’ shot ricocheted on Wild defender Jon Merrill.
Barré-Boulet was fired in the American League on Friday, but was called up before the game.
Both teams had suffered defeat the day before, so they started the match strong. Lightning struck first when Cirelli scored on the power play, followed by Maroon.
Foligno closed the power-play gap before the end of the period, then Duhaime tied early in the second period.
Mark Didtler, Associated Press
Rangers steal the game at the last second
PHOTO JOHN MUNSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ryan Lindgren (55) and Jacob Trouba (8)
Defenseman Ryan Lindgren barely beat the siren late in the third period to give the Rangers a 5-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabers. This is the fifth straight win for the “Blueshirts” at Madison Square Garden.
Lindgren knocked out Sabers goaltender Aaron Dell when he accepted a pass from Mika Zibanejad before sending the puck into the back of the net at 19:59 of the third period. Lindgren had descended from his blue line to maraud the left side of the keeper as all players overloaded the right side.
Lindgren’s winning goal was the only one in the third period. The two teams traded three goals each in a crazy second period, including four goals in 82 seconds.
Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba, Kaapo Kakko and K’Andre Miller were the Rangers’ other scorers. Alexander Georgiev made 14 saves before being replaced by Igor Shesterkin, who blocked four shots in the third period.
The Sabers conceded an eighth loss in ten games. Rasmus Asplund, Vinnie Hinostroza, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin found the back of the net while Dell blocked 31 shots.
Asplund opened the scoring on the power play at 15:53 in the first period. Kreider tied before the end of the period with his 13th goal of the season. A peak among the Rangers.
Hinostroza restored the visitors’ lead early in the second period. Trouba replied at 8:03 by jumping on a loose puck.
Then, Kakko scored his third in four games with eight minutes left to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead. The lead didn’t last a minute, however, when Thompson tied everyone else up.
Dahlin then beat Georgiev 15 seconds later, making 4-3 Sabers. But Miller created the deadlock again 17 seconds later.
In the victory, Artemi Panarin collected three assists.
Allan Kreda, Associated Press