Anthony Cirelli had two goals, Nikita Kucherov notched three assists to reach 500 in his career, and Waltteri Merela scored his first NHL goal as the Tampa Bay Lightning turned a close game into a blowout with three third period goals to take down the Minnesota Wild 7-3. For the second consecutive game the Lightning went 3-for-3 on the power play.
Defense wasn’t necessarily at a premium, especially during the first two periods as both teams had gaffes that led to chances and goals. While the Lightning’s offense was humming along, they were a little loose in their own zone at times, especially on the third Minnesota goal where defenseman Jacob Middleton was able to waltz right down the most dangerous part of the ice unmarked to score his sixth goal of the season.