The Tampa Bay Lightning came back in the late stages of Saturday afternoon’s game to pick up a much-needed win against their division rival, the Detroit Red Wings.
First Frame
The first period was very quiet, with no goals and only two penalties total (both on the lightning). Detroit outshot the Lightning in the opening frame, 7-5. With the second period approaching, the Red Wings certainly looked like the faster and better team after the first 20.
Second Frame
The second frame was very similar to the first, which was not a good thing for the Lightning as they needed a spark. Each team had a power play, but yet again, did not convert on it. It was a goalie performance thus far in Michigan, as Alex Nedeljkovic and Brian Elliot put on a show for the fans. There were 29 combined shots on goal for both hockey clubs.
Simply, it was another quiet period, but a goalie show for each team. Entering second intermission, Tampa Bay looked to convert on power plays after being 0-2 in the first two frames.
Third Frame
Entering the final frame, neither team had a goal on the scoresheet. In order to win this game, both teams knew that they needed to convert on the power play in order to come out with two points.
Eight minutes into the third period, Detroit finally broke the ice after a scoreless affair in the first two periods. Oskar Sundqvist scored a one-timer goal for his sixth of the season, giving the Red Wings a 1-0 lead. Entering the final minutes, Detroit looked very good and had a high probability of closing out the game.
However, with five minutes left in regulation, Tampa Bay went on a late power play. Filip Zadina hooked Pierre-Edouard Bellmare in what was a bad situation for Detroit. Steven Stamkos made sure Detroit payed, scoring the equalizing goal to even things up at one. Stamkos’s goal was good for his 29th of the year, sending the game into overtime. Tampa Bay really hammered the net during the third period, which caused Detroit some problems.
Overtime
51 seconds into overtime, Tyler Bertuzzi tripped Nikita Kucherov to put the Bolts on the man advantage. With Tampa on the 4-on-3 advantage, Brayden Point scored his 24th goal of the season to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a comeback road win.
What’s Next?
The Lightning will face the Islanders in Uniondale, NY on Sunday, March 27th. Puck drop is at 2:00 PM EST.