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Lightning-Wild: Observations from Tampa Bay’s 3-0 shutout loss

The Lightning ended its eight-game home win-streak with the Thursday night loss.
 
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) looks on as the Minnesota Wild celebrate their goal scored by left wing Jason Zucker (16) as the Wild go up 2-0 during the third period.
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) looks on as the Minnesota Wild celebrate their goal scored by left wing Jason Zucker (16) as the Wild go up 2-0 during the third period.
Published March 8, 2019

TAMPA – The Lightning looked sloppy Thursday night.

It’s not often a team out-skates and outplays the No. 1 team in the league, but it happens.

It happened Thursday night when Tampa Bay gave up its second shutout of the season to Minnesota 3-0, losing a playoff berth and breaking its home game win-streak at eight games in the process.

But when a team like Minnesota comes in with the hunger it did for a win Thursday night, not much else could be expected.

It’s the same hunger that the Lightning will face the remainder of the season against teams fighting for a spot and teams fighting because they don’t have anything to lose.

“You’re not going to win them all,” coach Jon Cooper said.

Here are some odds and ends from Tampa Bay’s 3-0 shutout loss:

Stamkos takes on goaltending. As goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy sat the bench in the last few minutes of the Lightning-Wild matchup, the Lightning were forced to play offense and defense with no protection between the posts if the puck made its way toward its goal. At one point the puck did get loose and forced Steven Stamkos to deflect a shot off his own glove as the Wild tried to get a three-goal lead on the night. However, moments later the Wild got on the board again with a Jason Zucker empty-netter, securing the second hat trick of his career and first of the season.

The odds are still in Tampa’s favor. With just 14 games left on its regular season schedule, the odds are still in Tampa Bay’s favor in terms of series wins. The Lightning have only dropped two series all season long – against the Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild – and both series ended in sweeps against the Lightning.

Vasilevskiy still strong in the net. Thursday’s shutout loss was the first time Andrei Vasilevskiy has seen his team lose in regulation since Jan. 30 at Pittsburgh. He came into the matchup on a 10-game win-streak, looking to tie Domingue’s franchise record of 11-straight wins as a starting goaltender.

It was a slow night for milestones. Even with Columbus losing, the Lightning couldn’t clinch a playoff spot, instead being shut out for just the second time this season in losing just its 13th game. In other news, Steven Stamkos did not tie Vinny Lecavalier for most goals with the Lightning, Nikita Kucherov did not set the record for most points in a Lightning season and Andrei Vasilevskiy did not tie a franchise record with his 11thconsecutive victory.

Playing like you’re fighting for the playoffs. The Wild played like a team fighting for a playoff spot, which it is. The Lightning, feeble even on the power play, displayed a lethargy befitting a team that has been a playoff lock forever. It was seriously outplayed. And it better get used to this kind of scrappy, tight-checking hockey. Eleven of Tampa Bay’s final 14 games are against teams either currently in playoff position or close to it.

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NHL teams keep it classy. Arena signage can overwhelm and sometimes nauseate, but nothing captures the NHL’s sentiment like the red stenciled “Ted 7” in Amalie corner boards, honoring Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay, who passed away Monday. All NHL arenas are saluting Lindsay in this fashion. By the way, Lindsay is believed to have begun a tradition when he skated the Stanley Cup around the rink after Detroit won it in 1950.

Columnist Martin Fennelly contributed to this report.

Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.