Lightning Beat Wild 3-2, Carlson Powers First PP Goal, Hildeby Shines in First Start | Daily Strike - October 9, 2026

The Tampa Bay Lightning capped off a perfect three-game homestand with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild, improving to 3-1-0 on the season and building momentum before heading out on their first road trip of the year. On today's Daily Strike, Steve Versnick recaps another impressive team performance as the Bolts continue their strong start to the season.

The Lightning struck twice in the opening period, including a goal just 36 seconds apart, and got a breakout night from John Carlson, who scored twice, including Tampa Bay's first power-play goal of the season after the club had started the year 0-for-14 with the man advantage.

In net, Dennis Hildeby earned the victory in his first start with the Lightning, stopping 34 shots and making 15 saves in the third period to help preserve the win. Hear from Hildeby about his performance and what the opportunity meant to him.

Meanwhile, Nikita Kucherov continued his hot start with two primary assists, extending his season-opening point streak to four games and bringing his season total to six points.

In Today's Episode:

• Full recap of the Lightning's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild
• The Bolts complete a perfect 3-0 homestand
• John Carlson's two-goal night, including the first power-play goal of the season
• Dennis Hildeby earns his first win as a Bolt with 34 saves
• Jon Cooper on Tampa Bay's success in close games
• Nikita Kucherov extends his season-opening point streak to four games
• Watch the latest episode of New In Blue featuring John Carlson and Gabby Shirley on a fishing adventure
• Preview of Saturday night's matchup against the New York Islanders
• This Day in Lightning History: The Lightning open the 1993 season at the Thunderdome in front of an NHL-record regular season crowd of 27,227 fans for their first-ever matchup with the Florida Panthers
• Weekend previews for the Syracuse Crunch and Orlando Solar Bears

The Lightning now head to New York looking to extend their winning streak to four games when they face the Islanders on Saturday night. Subscribe to Daily Strike for daily Tampa Bay Lightning news, game recaps, player interviews, prospect updates, and everything happening around the organization.

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