The Tampa Bay Lightning managed to keep their perfect record against Western Conference opponents in tact after beating the Minnesota Wild by a score of 3-1 on Thursday night. Buoyed by another incredible goaltending performance from Ben Bishop, the Lightning picked up their fifth victory of the season.

It was the Lightning who got on the board first when Tyler Johnson notched his second goal of the season on the power-play. With Jason Pominville in the box for tripping, Johnson set himself up in Steven Stamkos’ sweet spot. Valtteri Filppula, who had another great night on the dot, made a stellar pass over to Johnson who then corralled the puck and fired it home.

While Johnson’s goal was the only one to be scored in the first frame, it wasn’t the only exciting thing to happen. With about a minute left in the period, Radko Gudas absolutely nailed Kyle Brodziak with one of his classic hip-checks. Simply put, Gudas is a physical force to be reckoned with. In addition to his stellar physical play, he also notched an assist on the Lightning’s game winning goal.

The second period provided fans with the opportunity to see just how good Ben Bishop can be in the Lightning crease. As the Wild turned up the heat, Big Ben was there to thwart them at every turn. He made big save after big save after big save to keep the Lightning in the game. Hockey fans around the league are starting to see that when the Tampa Bay Lightning get solid goaltending, the Tampa Bay Lightning win hockey games.

Bishop’s shutout bid was broken midway through the third period after Valtteri Filppula got a little too fancy with the puck in the offensive zone. His miscue gave Ryan Suter a partial breakaway which turned into a Mikko Koivu goal. That goal should have given the Wild the injection of life they needed. Just as Bishop was great for the Lightning, Josh Harding was incredible in the Wild crease. His performance alone was almost worth a point in the standings.

Thankfully, as they have all year, the Lightning battled back. Steven Stamkos scored the game winning goal with just over five minutes left in the final period. His fifth of the season came as he took a fantastic Matt Carle bank-feed and broke in alone on Harding. Stamkos’ speed was simply too much for the Wild’s defense to handle. Once in a one-on-one situation with Harding, it was clear that Stamkos wasn’t going to make a mistake. When the Lightning needed a goal, number-91 stepped up in a big way.

Sami Salo added an empty-net tally with eighteen seconds left in the match to seal the deal. The win moves Ben Bishop’s record to a sparkling 5-0-0 and sends the Lightning into a tie for third place in the Atlantic Division with the Montreal Canadiens. The team’s next task will be to take on the Boston Bruins, who beat the Lightning on opening night. Saturday’s game is sure to be a good one.

As always, thanks for reading.

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