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Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Minnesota Wild Preview

By Tasha St. Pierre

Oct 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30), Tampa Bay Lightning center Valtteri Filppula (51) and teammates congratulate each other after they beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Ben Bishop (30), Tampa Bay Lightning center Valtteri Filppula (51) and teammates congratulate each other after they beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning swings open the doors to the Tampa Bay Times Forum to host the fourth game of their 7-game home stand as they go head-to-head with the Minnesota Wild.

The Lightning have the opportunity to nab their fifth win in six games tonight when they take on the Wild; however, there is a possibility that they may have to do it without the help of their new captain Martin St. Louis.

St. Louis has been listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury since taking a shot to the leg on Tuesday night during the Lightning’s 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings. It is uncertain whether or not Marty will be able to play in tonight’s game. Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper says that Marty will be game time decision.

In the event that Marty is not able to skate in tonight’s game, the Lightning are prepared. They have already called up right wing Brett Connolly from their American Hockey League affiliate Syracuse Crunch.

However, Tampa still has plenty of firepower in their arsenal. Centers Valtteri Filppula and Steven Stamkos, and right wing Teddy Purcell are all tied with St. Louis for the team lead in goals with 4 each.

Unfortunately for the Wild, they are not coming off of the same momentum. On Tuesday, the Wild were defeated by the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1. Right wing Jason Pominville scored the only goal in the encounter for the Wild.

Goaltender Josh Harding will get the nod to start tonight between the pipes for the Wild. Goaltender Niklas Backstrom did make the trip to Tampa with the team, but he is not ready to return to the net just yet. Harding is currently 3-1-0 this season with a GAA of .94, the best in the NHL, and a Save Percentage of .952.

The Lightning will be going with goaltender Ben Bishop between the pipes tonight. There is no arguing with success. The 6’7” netminder is currently 4-0-0 in his 4 appearances so far this season. His GAA is 1.71 with a Save Percentage of .939.

Each team is going to be looking for a win, and whether it is for redemption or to continue momentum, you can bet that both sides are going to be ready when the puck drops tonight.

Will Lightning strike, or will Minnesota run Wild? We’ll find out tonight.

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Network: Sun Sports, FS-N

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