Detroit Red Wings fall to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home

The Detroit Red Wings lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4, in what turned out to be an exciting, eventful game. The Red Wings showed a lot of offensive promise early, but could not hold out for the victory.

The Detroit Red Wings were unsuccessful in avenging their loss from last Saturday. Furthermore, they were unable to break the 14 game losing streak against the Lightning in the regular season, dating back to 2015. They were also the last opponent to kick out the Red Wings from a postseason. Without a doubt, the Lightning are an enduring divisional rival. Although there is currently a disparity between the two teams, the games are often exciting.

First Period: The Red Wings started the game strong with a goal from Madison Bowey two minutes into the period. It was the second goal in the 23-year-old’s young career. Halfway through the period, the Wings were hit with a penalty for having too many men on the ice. The Lightning have the best power play percentage in the league, yet they were not able to capitalize. Instead, it was the Red Wings who added a shorthanded goal from Darren Helm. The Red Wings are only the second team to have scored shorthanded on the Lightning this season. This was also Helm’s 100th career goal.

Second Period: The Wings extended their lead with a goal in the first four minutes of the second period from Justin Abdelkader. If you were watching the broadcast, you were also informed this was the Red Wings’ first 3-0 lead since December. It did not last long, however, as the Lightning did tally their first goal on a power play. Again, they are the best power play team in the NHL. The Red Wings closed out the final seconds of the frame with an impeccable stop on Nikita Kucherov to maintain a 3-1 lead.

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Third Period: That lead did not last very long. Brayden Point made the game a bit closer by scoring a goal within two minutes of puck drop in the third. Kucherov and Tyler Johnson respectively tied and took the lead within 30 seconds of each other. Finally, Kucherov added a second goal for good measure, making it five unanswered goals. Michael Rasmussen managed to get one back when Jimmy Howard left the net empty for the man advantage in the closing minutes. It was too-little-too-late, though, as the Red Wings fell 5-4.

Key Performance: Darren Helm earned himself the third star of the game, and he deserved it. His shorthanded goal was nothing short of masterful. He entered the zone on a two-on-one with Luke Glendening, but for all intents and purposes, he was on his own. It was very nifty for a milestone goal.

It is interesting to watch the Red Wings at this stage of the season. On one hand, it is in the best interests of the franchise to lose now and turn their attention to the draft. On the other hand, it is still fun to win. It is especially fun to compete against the strongest team in the league, and the Lightning look more or less flawless right now. That said, tonight could be seen as the best of both worlds. The Red Wings lost, possibly bringing them one step closer to Jack Hughes, but they were fun and frisky.

With the loss, the Detroit Red Wings fall to 24-37-10. They have now lost four straight and will move on to the New York Islanders on Saturday.