RECAP: Kasper scores twice, including game-winner in OT, to send Red Wings past Lightning, 4-3

TAMPA BAY -- Several hours before the Detroit Red Wings dug deep to clinch a 4-3 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lighting at AMALIE Arena on Friday night, head coach Todd McLellan took some time to speak privately with Marco Kasper.

“He was one that I pulled aside this morning,” McLellan said about the 21-year-old forward. “I didn’t think it was his best effort [on Thursday night] in Florida and he certainly agreed. Anytime a young player like that is challenged and comes back with a game like this today, that’s a real good sign for not only him as an individual but us as an organization moving forward.”

And what a game it was for Kasper, who found the back of the net twice, including the game-winning goal at 3:22 of overtime, to record his third career NHL multi-goal game and ninth multi-point performance of the season.

“It was really fun for us,” said Kasper, who also became the fourth-youngest player in franchise history at the time of his first career NHL overtime goal. “We had a couple of really tough losses the last two games, which hurt a lot, but we talked about it. We still want to be a team that goes out there and plays our best every shift.”

Kasper’s night against the Lightning (45-26-8; 98 points) helped the Red Wings (37-35-7; 81 points) stave off elimination from postseason contention and move six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the Eastern Conference’s second Wild-Card spot.

“Every minute we get, we need to try to give it our all,” Kasper added. “I think we did a good job of that today and came up with a big win.”

Detroit found itself facing a 1-0 deficit just over a minute into Friday's season series finale with Tampa Bay, which scored on its first shot of the night. Brandon Hagel threaded a backhand pass up the ice to Anthony Cirelli, who sped in and beat goalie Alex Lyon for a partial breakaway goal.

That was the only goal in the first 20 minutes, which saw the Atlantic Division rivals both head to their respective dressing rooms with nine shots apiece.

“It didn’t look good right off the bat, obviously getting scored on early, but we stayed with it and found a way to scrape out a win in a building that’s really tough to play in,” McLellan said.

The Red Wings came out of the first intermission determined to make it a 1-1 game, and that's exactly what Patrick Kane, who scored his 21st goal of the season, did at 4:06 of the second period.

Tyler Motte, who spent last season with Tampa Bay, gave Detroit a 2-1 lead at 16:37 of the second period. Justin Holl’s shot took a friendly bounce off the back boards and ended up in Tampa Bay’s crease, then Motte poked the puck through netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy to notch his fourth goal of the campaign.

William Lagesson also picked up a secondary assist on Motte’s second-period goal, collecting his first point as a member of the Red Wings.

The Lightning took advantage of a lucky bounce of their own just 1:11 later, as Gage Goncalves applied pressure deep in Detroit's zone and was rewarded for his hustle with a funky goal that tied it 2-2.

At 1:38 into the third period, while Moritz Seider went to pick up his helmet that had fallen off, Goncalves got a pass from Hagel and scored his second goal of the night to push Tampa Bay back in front 3-2.

“I don’t know if those things have to be snapped on a little tighter, but there were four or five times in the game tonight where helmets came off,” McLellan said. “That’s twice now in three games where it’s cost us a goal.”

Giving the Red Wings a big spark, Kasper buried his 17th of the season off a feed from Alex DeBrincat to make it 3-3 at 12:59 of the third period. Kane also assisted, giving the veteran forward his 15th multi-point game of the season.

That paved the way to overtime, when Kasper jumped on a turnover by the Lightning in the neutral zone and brought the puck into the left face-off circle before he fired a shot past Vasilevskiy (22 saves) for his 18th of the campaign.

“I think they were kind of tired,” Kasper said. “I made a good play, just skated by and scored.”

Lyon, who made 18 saves in his first start since March 27, stressed how Detroit has "a lot of pride" and a lot left to play for in its final three regular-season games, especially with the club's Wild-Card hopes still alive.

“This is the NHL,” said Lyon, who also earned his 50th career NHL win. “There’s always pressure. That’s just the reality of it. There are no easy games. Some ways, it’s harder too. The hamster wheel never stops, so you just got to keep grinding. Like I said, you either sink or you swim."

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will host the Dallas Stars for Fan Appreciation Night, marking Detroit’s final home game of the 2024-25 regular season, at Little Caesars Arena on Monday.

POSTGAME QUOTES

McLellan on what Friday's game showed him

“They showed each other a lot, not necessarily what they showed me. That’s way more important when they play for their teammates. They did respond. We had a good discussion this morning about what we expected from each other, and I thought they played to it. There were a few guys that spoke up.”

Lyon on what Friday’s overtime win means to Detroit

“It shows a lot of character. It’s pretty evident what our position is right now, so it’s just cool playing for the guy next to you. It feels good. It’s our third game in four days; a back-to-back on the road; tough team, tough barn. Just incredibly resilient and excited to get back home.”

Lyon on the Red Wings coming out on top of Friday’s back-and-forth battle

We go down 1-0 right away. We’re up 2-1. I shoot a puck into my own net, which stung a little bit. Then we go down 3-2 and we didn’t quit. That’s awesome. That’s what it’s all about. We all obviously know the position we’re in, but we’re still hockey players. We still love playing hockey, so that’s why we do it.”

Lyon on Kasper’s poise

“He’s an extremely mature individual. An extremely talented player who is going to play for a long time and have a fantastic career. It’s fun to see young guys like that…A lot of credit to him. He’s a great guy, teammate and player. Really happy for him.”