The Red Wings, who are on the brink of elimination, played a spirited, engaged game and were deserving of the victory. The Lightning weren’t sharp for long stretches in this contest, but they still added a point to their standings total. They are within two points of first-place Toronto (who own a game in hand) and have a two-point lead on third-place Florida.
The Red Wings were loose defensively in the early minutes, and the Lightning dictated play. They grabbed the lead when Anthony Cirelli converted on a breakaway at 1:01. But after Lucas Raymond took a shoulder to the face from Erik Cernak, the Red Wings’ intensity level increased. They dictated play over the final two-thirds of the first period. However, they were unable to tie the game.
The tying goal came early in the second. Detroit gained possession of the puck in the offensive zone while executing a line change. Marco Kasper took it from behind the net toward the slot. Victor Hedman knocked it off Kasper’s stick, but it came directly to Patrick Kane at the hashmarks. Kane zipped it past Andrei Vasilevskiy at 4:07.
It remained a 1-1 game until the late stages of the period when both teams tallied goals on strange plays. Justin Holl’s left-point shot hit off the end boards and caromed in front. It hit off Vasilevskiy and went between his skates. Tyler Motte nudged it in at 16:37. Just over a minute later, a Brandon Hagel dump-in bounced off Simon Edvinsson and Gage Goncalves before sliding to Alex Lyon. As Lyon attempted to stick the puck to his glove, Goncalves jammed it into the net at 17:52.
Early in the third, Goncalves converted on an in-alone chance. The play opened up for him after Mo Seider had to go to the bench when he lost his helmet. Goncalves took advantage of the open ice and finished his shot on Lyon’s stick side.
But the Lightning couldn’t close things out. A neutral-zone turnover fueled a counter-attack odd-man rush for Detroit. Kasper wristed a left-circle shot into the top of the net at 12:59.
Both clubs had chances to break the 3-3 tie before regulation ended. Oliver Bjorkstrand’s backhander from close range hit the crossbar. Seider cranked successive shots off the post on the same shift.
In overtime, J.J. Moser, Yanni Gourde, and Nick Paul endured a long shift as the Red Wings controlled the puck. Moser and Gourde were unable to get off the ice. Gourde finally collected the puck and tried to pass to Nikita Kucherov (who had changed for Paul) in the neutral zone. But Edvinsson broke up the play, allowing Kasper to counter down the wing. Gourde and Moser were out of gas, and Kasper finished his chance to win the game for Detroit at 3:22.
For much of the night, the Lightning weren’t crisp in their execution. This was not a formula for success against an engaged opponent. They’ll look to elevate their play when they host Buffalo on Sunday.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
- Marco Kasper — Red Wings. Two goals.
- Mo Seider — Red Wings.
- Gage Goncalves — Lightning. Two goals.
