Nikita Kucherov, one week after requesting a trade, scored a power-play goal 3:23 into overtime, lifting the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday in Saint Paul, Minn.
Jake Guentzel had two goals and an assist for Tampa Bay, which rallied from a two-goal deficit in the final six minutes of regulation. Charle-Edouard D’Astous had a goal and two assists, Kucherov added an assist, and Brayden Point and John Carlson each logged two helpers.
Dennis Hildeby stopped 19 of 22 shots as the Lightning won their third game in a row.
Maxim Shabanov scored two goals to lead Minnesota, which earned a point for the eighth consecutive game (6-0-2). Blake Coleman also tallied, and Wild goaltender Calvin Pickard allowed four goals on 34 shots.
Since news broke that Kucherov wants out of Tampa Bay, he has a goal and five assists in four games. In OT on Saturday, he took the puck between the circles and fired in a shot to end a long sequence in the Minnesota end.
The Wild grabbed a 1-0 lead only 55 seconds after the opening faceoff. Coleman took a long pass from Olli Maatta, carried the puck into the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot above Hildeby’s glove side.
Minnesota made it 2-0 with a power-play goal two minutes later. Shabanov scooped up a loose puck near the crease, turned to his backhand and shoved the puck into the net.
Tampa Bay trimmed the deficit to 2-1 on a power-play goal with 3:26 remaining in the second period. D’Astous slid a pass to Guentzel, who ripped a one-timer from the right circle.
Shabanov struck again, this time at even strength, to increase Minnesota’s lead to 3-1 with 13:11 to play in the third period. He raced the full length of the ice with the puck on his stick, split between a pair of Lightning defenders and beat Hildeby with a wrist shot.
The play gave Shabanov eight goals on the season. It marked his second career multi-goal game, tying a two-goal performance on Nov. 20, 2025, vs. the Detroit Red Wings.
Guentzel recorded his own multi-goal game to pull the Lightning within 3-2 with 6:16 remaining in the third period. He scored on a tip-in for his team-leading 10th goal of the season.
Tampa Bay’s comeback continued as D’Astous scored on the power play to even it at 3-all with 3:31 remaining in regulation. He scored on a slap shot with traffic in front of the net.
–Field Level Media
