8 observations from the Red Wings 2-1 OT loss to Tampa Bay

The Detroit Red Wings hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning for a Saturday matinee matchup. Both teams were prowling for a win as they were both in a losing slump and came out equally ready to rumble. Through a head-to-head 60 minutes, the game would be decided in overtime as Tampa Bay took the 2-1 victory. Here are the highlights.

1. 25th anniversary of the brawl celebrated at LCA. March 26th is one of the most famous dates in Red Wings history as it marks the anniversary of the brawl against the Avalanche at Joe Louis Arena. The 25th anniversary was commemorated throughout the game as they interviewed players such as Darren McCarty and Brendan Shanahan who played integral roles in the brawl in 1997. As a part of the anniversary celebration, Mickey Redmond was allowed to call the brawl for the first time since he was unable to see it live. Chris Osgood also shared memories of the brawl as he watched it from the Red Wings bench- a great testament to how nobody, fans and players alike, have forgotten the excitement of that March night in 1997.

2. Lots of changes in the lines once again. With Filip Zadina returning from being sick, the lines were shaken up once again. Tyler Bertuzzi would join Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on the top offensive line in lieu of Michael Rasmussen. The second line consisted of Erne – Suter – Sundqvist and Jakub Vrana was moved to the third line alongside Joe Veleno and Sam Gagner. Finally, Filip Zadina joined the fourth line next to Taro Hirose and Michael Rasmussen. Thomas Greiss was also out of the lineup with an injury and Calvin Pickard had been recalled from Grand Rapids to be the backup goaltender behind Alex Nedeljkovic.

3. Jake Walman is quickly becoming one of Detroit’s top defensemen. Although he has only played three games for the Red Wings, Walman is showing up and showing out as an offensive defenseman. In this game in particular, he had one stellar blocked shot in front of Nedeljkovic where he threw his entire body in front of a shot in a very natural and instinctive way. His instincts as a defenseman are sharp- he is not afraid or hesitant to dive to block shots and doesn’t tend to let people get past him without a battle. He also is great at getting involved in the offensive zone and took two shots on goal against the Lightning. Very exciting to see him eager and excited to play on this team!

4. Two scoreless periods with a combined total of 29 shots kept things interesting. As forty minutes passed without either team finding the back of the net, things were getting tense. Going into this game, the Red Wings were expected to have a harder time against the Lightning and they actually ended up being pretty even opponents. By the end of the game, there had been a total of 63 shots taken between both teams (36 TBL, 27 DET).

5. Oskar Sundqvist opens the scoring for Detroit. Scoring his second goal as a Red Wing, Sundqvist finally was able to light the lamp in a previously scoreless game. Assisted by Adam Erne and Pius Suter, Sundqvist got one past Brian Elliott as the puck wobbled just out of his reach. In his three games with Detroit, Sundqvist has scored two goals and has been a force on the Red Wings offense.

6. Rockstar game for Alex Nedeljkovic. Ned is still in his groove as he showed off with plenty of saves worth talking about. Having faced 36 shots and only allowing two goals, Ned had a .944 SV% and took home the second star of the game. With him being back in his groove and the improvements in the Red Wings defense, things look brighter heading into upcoming games.

7. Detroit battled hard and this loss is nothing to be truly upset over. Throughout the entire 60+ minutes of play, the Red Wings were strong offensively and defensively. They were taking tons of shots- plenty of which were wonderful scoring chances shut down by the Lightning goaltender Brian Elliott. Being able to hold the Lightning back from scoring for a full two periods is a testament to a solid performance by the Red Wings defense as well as Alex Nedeljkovic. The Red Wings offense took a total of 27 shots in this game

8. Both of Tampa’s goals came off of the power play. The Lightning had three power play chances in this game and were able to capitalize off of two of them. First off was a goal from Steven Stamkos late in the third period that brought the game into overtime. The goal that ended up winning the game for Tampa Bay came in overtime when a penalty was called on Tyler Bertuzzi and the Lightning received the extra skater.

The Red Wings prepare to take on the Penguins Sunday on the road. Even more motivated to get a win after yet another loss, Detroit is ready to lay it all out on the ice. Maybe Moritz Seider will get another jab at Sidney Crosby? Who’s to say, but the Red Wings have a tough game ahead of them.