March 1, 2026; St. Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Kirill Kaprizov (97) is congratulated by left wing Matt Boldy (12), center Joel Eriksson Ek (14) and defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) after scoring in the second period against the St. Louis Blues at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images The Minnesota Wild will try to end a two-game losing skid when they host the Atlantic Division-leading Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday evening in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Third-place Minnesota, comfortably locked in the top three of the Western Conference Central Division, clashes with the Lightning to end a short two-game homestand that began with a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Coach John Hynes doesn’t dislike the effort his team has shown in the last two games, but he clearly believes the Wild need more physical play going forward.
“I thought our effort was there,” Hynes said after the St. Louis setback. “I think there needs to be a little more physicality to our game. I think we’re a little bit guessing where our first player needs to be more direct with the first player (in the face-off). I think it’s a little bit too easy to come out (for the opponent).
“The structure is there, but it can be a good structure, there has to be a little more edge and physicality, especially arriving with a bit more malice than we have had in the last two games.
“We are a strong, competitive team, a physical team, but I think our game needs more of that.”
Electrifying scorer Kirill Kaprizov matched Marian Gaborik’s franchise record 219 goals on Sunday, extending his point streak to seven games (six goals, four assists).
Quinn Hughes (five goals, 54 assists in 55 games) had a marker assist and one point for his fifth straight 60-point season. This would be the sixth-longest streak by a defenseman in NHL history.
The Wild are 6-2-0 in their last eight games.
Coach Jon Cooper returned to the Tampa Bay bench on Saturday night, but his team had its worst performance to date against the Buffalo Sabres.
On home ice, where the Lightning entered the game 19-9-0, the team was attacked early by the Sabers and fell behind 4-0 in the first period when the visitors scored three times in 2 minutes and 53 seconds.
The 6-2 loss was an unforgettable night. It was an unforgettable night for the club, who were second favorites in as many games and currently sit second in the Eastern Conference standings.
“It’s actually really disappointing to come out and play in this position after playing 50-plus games,” Cooper said. “No defiance, no urgency, no drive, no attention to detail. We gave up a pretty skilled team to so much open ice. It’s surprising they don’t have 10.
“I was really disappointed with the level of competition we had.”
The club was bullied in its own building and lost at home for the first time since December 18, in 11 consecutive games. In addition, Nikita Kucherov’s 12-game scoring streak ended.
Gage Goncalves, who was having a strong season with seven goals, 13 assists and a plus-21 rating, suffered an injury early in the second period.
The second-year forward is one of the club’s standout penalty shootout specialists, scoring a team-high three goals in five attempts.
Meanwhile, Dominic James, who scored the losing goal, appeared to have suffered a more serious injury when his right foot was bent awkwardly in a collision with Buffalo’s Michael Kesselring. He was unable to put weight on his right leg as he had to be assisted on the ice.
The rookie center provided a spark with seven goals and eight assists in 43 games.
–Field level media
