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 "It's a 0-0 game. Let's just make this a 20-minute game," the
coach told his players.
And they responded by scoring three goals in the third period to
carry Tampa Bay to a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday at
Joe Louis Arena.
Ben Bishop made 28 saves to register his sixth career shutout.
"Clearly, we found our legs in the third because we didn't use them
in the second," Cooper said with a smile.
Center Tyler Johnson, right winger J.T. Brown and center Alex
Killorn scored third-period goals for Tampa Bay (19-11-3). Bishop
recorded his third shutout of the season.
"We didn't have a good period in the second and we talked about
being better between the second and third," Brown said. "And we came
out and played better."
Petr Mrazek stopped 24 shots for Detroit (15-11-9), which lost its
fifth in a row and fell to 5-8-6 at home.
"I thought we played pretty well. I didn't think there was much to
pick between the teams. Both played last night," Red Wings coach
Mike Babcock said. "I thought their goaltending was outstanding. We
made a couple of mistakes, they shot it in our net."
Johnson gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead 3:13 into the third period when he
tipped in a loose puck from the front of the net. It was Johnson's
eighth goal.
"We said you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that
whoever scores the first goal will have a great chance to win the
game," Cooper said.
Brown's second goal of the season made it 2-0 at 9:16. Brown tipped
in a pass from the corner from center Nate Thompson.
Killorn added an empty-net goal with 1:15 left. It was his seventh
of the season.
Brown said Bishop was particularly strong in the second period, in
which the Red Wings out-shot the Lightning 13-3.
"He made the saves and kept us in the game. In the second period,
they could have broken it open but he made the saves," Brown said.
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Detroit right winger Johan Franzen went to the dressing room
after taking a glove to the face from Tampa Bay's Radko Gudas
early in the second period, and he did not return.
"I don't know. It's all those guys who get bumped in the head.
It's like in the league now they're gone forever, it seems
like," Babcock said. "I don't know what that means. I don't know
protocol-wise what will happen. We'll figure that out."
When Franzen got back to the bench, he yelled at Gudas as the
Lightning defenseman skated by the Wings' bench, and Franzen
received an unsportsmanlike penalty 4:35 into the middle period.
Red Wings right winger Todd Bertuzzi served the penalty.
It was the second consecutive game that the Red Wings lost a
player to being hit in the face. On Saturday night, left winger
Justin Abdelkader took a shoulder to the face from Pittsburgh
Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland and had to leave the game.
Abdelkader didn't play Sunday because he was going through the
league's possible-concussion process.
"We can't feel sorry for ourselves. Every team goes through
this," Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "Just gotta stay
positive and stick together as a team. In the long run, I think
you're just going to benefit from it."
Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk hit the goal post with 6:08
remaining in the opening period.
Lightning right winger Teddy Purcell hit the goal post 7:12 into
the game.
NOTES: An apparent goal by Detroit C Gustav Nyquist 2:02 into
the game was waved off because it was ruled the whistle had
blown. The puck was lying beside Tampa Bay G Ben Bishop in the
crease. ... The Red Wings recalled RW Tomas Jurco from AHL Grand
Rapids on Sunday, and he made his NHL debut. He replaced LW
Justin Abdelkader (possible concussion) in the lineup. ... Tampa
Bay C Valtteri Filppula is a former Red Wing. He signed with the
Lightning as a free agent in July. ... Lightning vice president
and general manager Steve Yzerman played his entire Hall of Fame
career with Detroit.
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