Red Wings use balance to knock off Lightning

[March 12, 2021]    The host Detroit Red Wings got goals from six different scorers Thursday as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4.

Troy Stecher, Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Luke Glendening, Robby Fabbri and Vladislav Namestnikov paced the Red Wings with a goal each. All scored at even strength while ending a nine-game point streak (8-0-1) for the Lightning. Mantha, Filip Zadina and Filip Hronek logged two assists apiece.

Detroit Red Wings center Vladislav Namestnikov (92) and Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Pat Maroon (14) battle for the puck as defenseman Troy Stecher (70) and right wing Mathieu Joseph (7) are tripped up during the second period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Mikhail Sergachev, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat replied for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Palat also had two assists.

Detroit goalie Jonathan Bernier finished with 40 saves while Tampa Bay's Curtis McElhinney stopped 17 shots.

The two teams traded goals twice in the first period before the Red Wings took the lead for good. Stecher started the night at 8:31 of the first by finding the top corner on McElhinney and then Sergachev fired a wrist shot over Bernier's glove at 10:55.

Larkin streaked into the slot to bury a pass from Hronek at 12:12 to give Detroit a 2-1 lead. But at 13:55 and with the Lightning on the power play, Stamkos took a no-look feed from Alex Killorn to tie the game.

Mantha alone punished the Lightning with his forecheck. Tampa Bay defenseman Jan Rutta was racing back to pick up a cleared puck in his own end but Mantha challenged him and won, pushing the puck past McElhinney as both players crashed the net. Lightning head coach Jon Cooper disputed the goal, calling for goaltender interference, but the referees declared it a good goal for the 3-2 lead.

The Red Wings scored twice more in the second, both times on Lightning turnovers. Michael Rasmussen picked up a loose puck in the Lightning end and Glendening was there to score on the rebound just 33 seconds in. At 4:50, Fabbri found the puck at his own blueline and raced up to the ice to beat McElhinney to the glove side.

The Lightning scored twice late in the third to threaten the Red Wings. At 15:50, Sergachev forced a Red Wings giveaway in the neutral zone and then Palat got the puck over to Point who finished the play.

Palat scored at 17:05 to cut the lead to 5-4. Namestnikov finished the Lightning with an empty-net goal at 19:40.

--Field Level Media

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.