Nikita Kucherov's Overtime Power-Play Goal Caps Lightning Rally Past Wild 4-3 in St. Paul

Nikita Kucherov scored on the power play 3:23 into overtime, and the Tampa Bay Lightning came back from two goals down in the third period to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jake Guentzel scored twice and Charle-Edouard D'Astous tied the game with 3:31 left in regulation as Tampa Bay won its third straight and spoiled the night for the Western Conference leaders on their home ice.

The win opened a four-game road trip for the Lightning, who improved to 11-3-2 with 24 points and are 4-0-2 in their past six games. Minnesota, which entered on a three-game winning streak, fell to 12-3-4 but still leads the West with 28 points.

How the comeback happened

Minnesota looked in control for most of the night. Blake Coleman scored off a rush 55 seconds into the game, and Maxim Shabanov added a power-play goal on a rebound at 2:58 of the first period, putting Tampa Bay in a 2-0 hole less than three minutes after the opening faceoff.

The Lightning did not get on the board until late in the second. Guentzel, who grew up in Minnesota, buried a one-timer from the right circle at 16:34 near the end of a four-minute power play. According to The Associated Press, it was Tampa Bay's only shot during that man advantage.

Shabanov restored the two-goal cushion with his second goal of the night, an unassisted wrist shot at 6:49 of the third period. Guentzel answered seven minutes later, tipping a Brayden Point shot in front at 13:44 to make it 3-2.

The tying goal came with Tampa Bay on the power play and goalie Dennis Hildeby pulled for an extra skater, giving the Lightning a six-on-four advantage. D'Astous wound up from the point and his slap shot found its way through traffic at 16:29, sending the game to overtime.

Tampa Bay drew another penalty in the extra period, and Kucherov made it count. He took a pass from Guentzel in the slot and ripped a wrist shot past Wild goalie Calvin Pickard for his first goal in seven games.

Scoring summary

The game's seven goals, according to the ESPN box score:

Standout performances

Guentzel finished with two goals and an assist, giving him 10 goals this season. D'Astous, a defenseman, had a goal and two assists and logged 24:38 of ice time. Point and John Carlson each had two assists, and Kucherov added an assist to go with the winner. Kucherov led all skaters with nine shot attempts and played 25:31.

The power play carried the night. Tampa Bay went 3 for 6 with the man advantage, and three of its four goals, including the tying and winning goals, came on the power play. The Lightning outshot Minnesota 34-22 and won 56.7 percent of faceoffs, with Zemgus Girgensons going 16 for 25 in the circle.

Hildeby made 19 saves on 22 shots in 63 minutes. Pickard stopped 30 of 34 in his third start of the season.

According to the NHL's game recap, Point's two assists pushed him past 700 career NHL points, and he tied Martin St. Louis as the third-fastest player in Lightning history to reach that mark. The league also noted that Kucherov's goal was his 10th in overtime with the Lightning, tying St. Louis for third in franchise history behind Steven Stamkos and Point, and that the win was Tampa Bay's first comeback from a multigoal third-period deficit since a 3-2 overtime win at Pittsburgh on Nov. 19, 2024.

What the coaches said

Lightning coach Jon Cooper credited his team's persistence after the Wild's fast start and Shabanov's third-period goal. "I just liked the fact that the guys kept believing," Cooper said, according to NHL.com. He described it as a character win for the group.

Wild coach John Hynes called the game a heavyweight fight, according to the league's recap.

Physical first period

The Foligno brothers both returned to the Minnesota lineup and were in the middle of a scrum midway through the first period. Nick Foligno, back after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury, was called for roughing. Marcus Foligno, who had missed 14 games with a lower-body injury, fought Lightning forward Scott Sabourin in the ensuing skirmish, according to the AP. Sabourin finished with a team-high five hits.

Kucherov's situation

The overtime winner came amid an unsettled stretch for Kucherov. The reigning NHL MVP recently requested a trade from the Lightning, saying he feels disrespected by a lack of communication with general manager Julien BriseBois, according to the AP. Kucherov, a two-time MVP, can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. On the ice, he has kept producing, and Saturday's goal was his fifth of the season.

Panthers drop afternoon game in Washington

Florida's other NHL team did not fare as well earlier Saturday. The Washington Capitals rallied for a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena, scoring three straight goals after Brady Tkachuk had given Florida a 2-1 lead in the first period.

Tkachuk scored twice in the opening period, both assisted by his brother Matthew Tkachuk. The second came on an extended power play after Washington's Tom Wilson was given a major penalty for boarding and ejected for a hit on Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis, who did not return, according to the AP. Alex Tuch tied it in the second period with his 11th goal, Aliaksei Protas put Washington ahead later in the period, and Pierre-Luc Dubois added a goal early in the third. Sam Bennett pulled Florida within one with 46.6 seconds to play, with Matthew Tkachuk picking up his third assist. Akira Schmid made 27 saves for Florida, which fell to 9-6-2 with 20 points.

What's next

The Lightning continue their trip Sunday at the Winnipeg Jets on the second half of a back-to-back. Tampa Bay entered the trip unbeaten at home this season but sits third in the Atlantic Division, one point behind Boston and Montreal. The Panthers also play Sunday, at the Boston Bruins. Minnesota begins a three-game road trip Tuesday in Montreal.