Early barrage helps Lightning torch Red Wings

[February 04, 2021]  Victor Hedman collected a goal and an assist and the Tampa Bay Lightning produced another three-goal first period Wednesday to stay spotless on home ice with a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

By moving to 5-0-0 at home, Tampa Bay extended its home winning streak over its Central Division foe to 15 straight games -- the longest in franchise history.

The stretch is the second-best active home streak in the NHL, trailing only the Philadelphia Flyers' 16 in a row over the Chicago Blackhawks.

In the one-sided affair, Alex Killorn, Anthony Cirelli, Ryan McDonagh and Brayden Point tallied, and Blake Coleman dished out two assists.

Starting his 34th straight game, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy allowed only one goal on 16 shots to raise his career record to 9-0-0 against Detroit.

Opening a six-game road trip, the Red Wings pulled starting goaltender Thomas Greiss at 12:31 of the first after the three-goal outburst on just five Lightning shots. Calvin Pickard relieved the German backstop during a TV timeout and stopped 17 of 19 shots.

Anthony Mantha scored for the third straight contest, and Dylan Larkin played in his 400th NHL game for last-place Detroit, which is winless in its last seven (0-5-2) and five on the road (0-4-1).

The Lighting pounced for the three goals in the opening five minutes -- they also scored a trio in the first Monday in a 5-2 win against Nashville -- and the puck entered Tampa Bay's defensive end of the ice just twice.

Hedman took advantage of an untimely Detroit line change by streaking through the neutral zone, cutting from the right circle into the slot and firing a high shot that beat Greiss on the stick side at 1:34 for his third goal.

Tampa Bay Lightning center Anthony Cirelli (71) and Detroit Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek (17) fight for the puck during the first period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

In a goal-scoring drought, Cirelli netted for the first time in seven games at 3:57, and McDonagh rang home his first tally just six seconds inside the five-minute mark.

Tampa Bay pushed it to 4-0 when Steven Stamkos' pass out front found its way to Point, who popped in his fourth goal 7:25 into the second.

Mantha answered by taking advantage of a bouncing puck, breaking away and roofing his fourth marker to trim it to 4-1 at 9:49, but Killorn tipped in a shot at 11:32 for the Lightning's second four-goal lead.

Vasilevskiy stopped Detroit's three shots in a scoreless third to go to 6-1-1 this season.

--Field Level Media

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