1. Can a guy get some Olympic love?
Wild forward Ryan Hartman began the season a long ways away from the Olympic radar. But his start to the campaign, along with the kind of player he is, has to at least be getting him some attention, right?
Good thing he knows a guy that might have some sway...
The Olympics are still a couple of months away, but with teams starting to finalize their rosters ahead of the games in Beijing in February, Hartman's red-hot start to the season really is something else.
Video: TBL@MIN: Hartman nets feed for spinning go-ahead goal
That continued on Sunday, when Hartman turned and fired top shelf on the game-winning goal midway through the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie and delivering the Wild their ninth consecutive home victory versus the Lightning - a streak that began, ironically, 10 years to the date from Sunday.
It was Hartman's 12th goal of the season in Minnesota's 21st game, and arguably his most consequential so far. Hartman now has four game-winning goals on the year, which ties him for second-most in the NHL and ties his career best for an entire season (2016-17).
Even the most optimistic Wild fan couldn't have predicted this kind of start for Hartman, but what he's doing isn't a fluke. Night in and night out, he's one of the team's best players on all ends of the rink.
Video: Coach Dean Evason postgame against Tampa Bay
"Did we see potential? Sure. That's why he's playing the minutes that he's playing. That's why he's playing where he's playing," said Wild coach Dean Evason. "Not that we gave him anything. He earned everything that he's getting and the ice time that he's getting, the special teams that he's getting, he's earned that by the way that he's played the game in all aspects of it. Defensively, offensively, physicality, committed to his faceoffs. He's earned the right to put himself in that spot, and he's getting rewarded because of it."
Hartman's spinning goal looked easy, but is actually incredibly difficult to pull off, especially because he didn't have a constant, clear visual before snapping off his shot.
Video: Ryan Hartman postgame vs Tampa Bay
"I was aiming for the left side of the net and high. So, I mean, I guess you could say that corner," Hartman said. "Sometimes it's kind of the same too as when you're cutting across the middle laterally. You sometimes try to overcompensate. When you're drifting, the puck kind of drifts with you. Sometimes you try to overcompensate. Those kind of shots, really, I'm just trying to get on net. I haven't seen the replay. I don't really remember how the play panned out, but I know I almost beat him there early that period. He just barely caught a piece of it. So, I was definitely going to that side."
Regardless, Hartman is absolutely dialed right now.
The way that he's playing the game right now the shot was - it's not like he's getting bounces in. He's shooting it in a specific spot and it's going in the net," Evason said. "It's great to see him, clearly, get rewarded but it's great for the team to get rewarded the way that he's playing."
Minnesota never trailed in the game, getting first-period goals from Nick Bjugstad (off the rush) and Victor Rask (a loose puck in front), watching the Lightning answer back both times.
Video: TBL@MIN: Rask scores in 1st period
The Wild led 2-1 after one and the game was tied at 2-2 after 40 minutes, setting the table for Hartman's third-period heroics.
Marcus Foligno would add an empty-net goal with 16 seconds and change left to ice the win, Minnesota's third consecutive victory overall.
2. Shut it down
After Hartman's tally gave the Wild the lead with only 10 minutes left, the Lightning needed to find an equalizer late in the contest, much like Minnesota needed to do a week ago in Tampa.
But unlike the Wild, which scored two empty-net goals to force overtime and an eventual shootout, Tampa Bay didn't sniff a goal on Sunday.
Why? Well, it didn't get a shot on goal, for one.
Video: Rem Pitlick postgame against Tampa Bay
So much of the credit there goes to Wild players in front of Cam Talbot, who clogged shooting lanes and blocked a handful of shots, including one by Jordan Greenway and two biggies by Matt Dumba.
"The commitment level was really high tonight and obviously when you're playing against the Stanley Cup champions, our guys are really dialed in," Evason said. "We made a couple turnovers but certainly in those last empty net they were real committed. We had great blocks. Good sticks.
"We were really happy."
Video: TBL@MIN: Foligno scores in 3rd period
After a couple salvos at the empty cage, the Wild cashed in when Foligno scored his eighth goal into a vacated cage, relieving the pressure.
"Sitting on the bench, it's loud, guys are getting excited for each other. That's the ultimate sacrifice when guys are wearing pucks," Bjugstad said. "Dumba took one in the ankle. Greener took one. That's the difference there. So this is a team that guys are contributing in all different areas. So that's what creates a good team."
3. Bjugy with a beauty
Remember the movie "Miracle," where fictional Herb Brooks tells his team that when they score on fictional Vladislav Tretiak to "keep the puck."
It's sort of that same feeling when you score on Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is arguably the standard when it comes to NHL goaltenders.
Video: TBL@MIN: Bjugstad beats Vasilevskiy driving to net
Vasilevskiy entered play Sunday with shutouts in each of his past two outings, stopping all 51 shots he saw during those two games, and bumping his record to 10-3-3 on the season.
It took the Wild 11:03 to snap that shutout streak on Sunday, and it didn't come cheaply, as Bjugstad flew down the right-wing wall and fired the puck into a tiny opening over Vasilevskiy's left shoulder and under the crossbar.
Video: Nick Bjugstad postgame vs Tampa Bay Lightning
"Contemplated going to my backhand. I think Sturm was with me there, but yeah, just kinda shot it," Bjugstad said. "Sometimes it goes in for you like that. Pretty fortunate. But good overall play to begin with Sturmy, he kinda battled two guys, and that puck was laying there for me, so I'll take it."
If you saw Bjugstad's episode of "Becoming Wild" once upon a time, you know the former Blaine Bengal is working on his shot constantly. Heck, his uncle, Scott Bjugstad, runs a shooting camp.
All that work and all that studying paid off in a big way for Nick Bjugstad on Sunday, as he beat one of the best in the world and got the Wild off and running.
"It's a great team, great goalie. We haven't always had the greatest starts so far this season," Bjugstad said. "So, it's good to start off like that and kind of battle with one of the better teams in the league."
Loose pucks
- Minnesota's 14-6-1 start is its second-best through 21 games in franchise history (13-4-4 in 2013-14)
- Talbot finished the game with 28 saves and an assist, his fourth career assist
- Kirill Kaprizov had an assist on Hartman's goal, his team-leading 17th helper of the year. He has 12 points in his past six games
- Rem Pitlick also had an assist and is now tied for seventh in the NHL in rookie scoring with nine points
- Dumba didn't find the scoresheet but was a plus-2 and led the team with three blocked shots
- Rask's goal was his fifth point in his past four games played
- Kevin Fiala assisted on Rask's goal and has five points in his past four games
- Corey Perry and Alex Killorn had goals for Tampa Bay
- Vasilevskiy finished with 33 saves on 36 shots faced
Dan's three stars
1. Ryan Hartman
2. Cam Talbot
3. Nick Bjugstad
Highlights
Video: Hartman breaks tie in 4-2 Wild win against Lightning
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