John Carlson scores twice, Dennis Hildeby makes 34 saves as Lightning hold off Wild 3-2

Defenseman John Carlson scored his first two goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning, including the team's first power-play goal of the season, and goaltender Dennis Hildeby made 34 saves in his Lightning debut as Tampa Bay held off the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Thursday night, Oct. 8, at Benchmark International Arena.

The win completed a perfect three-game homestand and extended the Lightning's winning streak to three games. Tampa Bay improved to 3-1-0 after losing its season opener 5-1 at the New York Rangers. Minnesota fell to 2-1-1 and has lost two straight.

Anthony Cirelli also scored for Tampa Bay, and Nikita Kucherov had two assists. Quinn Hughes had a goal and an assist for Minnesota, and former Lightning forward Blake Coleman scored late to make it a one-goal game. Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt stopped 32 shots.

Two goals in 36 seconds

The Lightning took control early in the first period. At 5:26, Cirelli redirected a point shot from defenseman Erik Cernak past Wallstedt for a 1-0 lead, according to the NHL's game recap. Thirty-six seconds later, at 6:02, Carlson beat Wallstedt with a wrist shot from the point while forward Gage Goncalves screened in front of the net.

Minnesota got one back at 2:32 of the second period, when Hughes fired a shot from the center point through traffic to cut the lead to 2-1.

Carlson restored the two-goal margin on the power play, taking a pass from Kucherov and ripping a one-timer from the high slot. The goal ended Tampa Bay's 0-for-13 start on the man advantage this season. It was Carlson's 11th career multi-goal game, and he finished with a game-high nine shots on goal.

"It was a goalie-didn't-see-it kind of goal," Carlson said, according to NHL.com.

Coach Jon Cooper said the Lightning need that kind of offense from the blue line.

"Good for him," Cooper said. "Because we need him to do that."

Hildeby holds on in his debut

The Wild pressed in the later stages. On a Minnesota power play, Coleman beat Hildeby high on the glove side from the left circle, with Kirill Kaprizov earning the assist, to pull the Wild within 3-2. Hildeby made the rest of the stops as Tampa Bay closed out the game.

Hildeby, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, finished with 34 saves in his first game for Tampa Bay. Before Thursday he had never started against Minnesota; his only previous appearance against the Wild was a relief outing for Toronto in which he stopped all nine shots he faced, according to the Lightning.

"It was fun, just battling out there," Hildeby said.

Wallstedt kept Minnesota in the game after a difficult opening stretch.

"Not maybe our best start, but something to build off of," Wallstedt said.

New faces paying off for Tampa Bay

Thursday's win showcased two of the Lightning's biggest summer additions. Carlson, a longtime Washington Capitals defenseman, signed a two-year, $17 million contract with Tampa Bay on July 1, an average annual value of $8.5 million. Hildeby arrived the same day in the trade with Toronto.

Kucherov's two assists gave him 1,130 career points, tying Hall of Famer Bernie Federko for 66th place on the NHL's all-time list, according to the league. Kucherov entered the game with 21 points, 10 goals and 11 assists, in 21 career games against the Wild, according to the team.

Jake Guentzel entered Thursday with 15 points in 11 career games against Minnesota, the second-most among active Lightning players behind Kucherov, according to the team. The power-play breakthrough may matter more than any single point total. Tampa Bay had gone without a goal on its first 13 chances of the season before Carlson's one-timer, and the Lightning had relied on even-strength scoring and goaltending to win their first two home games.

The Lightning's young depth has also been part of the early-season story. Defenseman Max Crozier made his season debut in Monday's win over Philadelphia, and forward Conor Geekie earned an opening-night roster spot after time with the AHL's Syracuse Crunch.

Wild streaks and injuries

For Minnesota, Hughes and defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who had an assist, each extended season-opening point streaks to four games, matching Ryan Suter for the longest by a Wild defenseman, according to the NHL. Hughes has six points, two goals and four assists, and Spurgeon has four points, one goal and three assists.

Minnesota played without defenseman Olli Maatta, a late scratch with a lower-body injury. Coach John Hynes did not give an update on his status. David Spacek entered the lineup and had one shot in 8:23 of ice time.

"We've got to play a full 60 (minutes)," Hynes said.

Coleman, who won two Stanley Cups with the Lightning, put it more bluntly, saying the Wild cannot put themselves in a hole against a good team.

A strong homestand after a rough opener

Tampa Bay's season began poorly with a 5-1 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 2. The Lightning responded at home, beating the Washington Capitals 3-1 in their home opener on Oct. 3, then defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Monday, Oct. 5, before Thursday's win.

The Lightning have allowed four goals in three home games. Thursday's win also improved Tampa Bay's historical record against Minnesota, which had stood at 14-20-4 all-time and 11-6-2 at home, according to the team. The clubs split last season's meetings, with the Wild winning 5-1 in Minnesota on March 3 and the Lightning winning 6-3 in Tampa on March 24.

Benchmark International Arena, the downtown Tampa venue formerly known as Amalie Arena, will be quiet for the next week as the Lightning head north.

What's next

The Lightning open a road stretch on Saturday, Oct. 10, against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Tampa Bay then visits the Rangers on Tuesday, Oct. 13, a rematch of the season-opening loss, before returning home to face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, Oct. 15, according to the Lightning's schedule. Tampa Bay and Minnesota meet again on Nov. 7 in St. Paul.