TAMPA, Fla. — The Detroit Red Wings showed some mettle, holding their own against the two-time defending champions and enjoying the reward of a satisfying performance.
They left Amalie Arena on Tuesday with a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s the second time in a week the Wings have defeated an opponent who clinched a playoff spot.
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Unlike their victory on April 14 at Carolina, where they relied mainly on goal, tonight they managed 38 saves from Thomas Greiss and two goals from Jakub Vrana. It was a solid team performance, with players winning puck battles and sacrificing themselves to block shots.
The Bolts have clinched a playoff spot, but are chasing Toronto for home-field advantage and trying to stay ahead of Boston and not fall into the wild-card spot and a likely first-round date against the Carolina Hurricanes. .
Andrei Vasilevskiy lost for the first time in 14 career starts against the Wings.
The Wings (30-37-10) continue the journey Thursday against the Florida Panthers, then return to Little Caesars Arena on Saturday for their final home game.
how did they adjust
With Larkin done for the season after undergoing core muscle surgery on Monday, the Wings needed a center for their top line. Joe Veleno was given the go-ahead to play between Tyler Bertuzzi and Lucas Raymond, offering a great opportunity for Veleno to prove he’s more than just a back row. Oskar Sundqvist returned after missing the weekend’s matches. Minor league call-ups Chase Pearson and Riley Barber were available, but the Wings opted to move defenseman Jordan Oesterle to the fourth row.
how they started
Greiss had his gloves full in the first period as the Lightning dominated the offensive zone timing. Greiss made three saves on Steven Stamkos alone, including one on a smackdown shot from left circle during a Tampa power play, one of the few chances the Bolts had with the man advantage as the Bolts’ penalty shooters Wings did a good job removing lanes. and be aggressive with the puck.
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The Wings struggled to get out of their zone: Jake Walman flipped the puck on one attempt, and Stamkos turned that into another down. Greiss’ 16th save came on Corey Perry, who almost scored on the same play that saw Pat Maroon get past Gustav Lindstrom.
how did they come about
The Wings played much more cohesively and jumpy in the second half. They conceded a goal at 3:58 to Colton, but the answer was to give it back to the Bolts. Sundqvist was rewarded for battling in front of the net with a goal at 4:20, and Vrana scored at 6:34, ending a Filip Zadina drive seconds after a Wings power play expired. FIlip Hronek fired a pass from behind his goal line into the boards. Raymond won a puck battle against Mikhail Sergachev and ran onto the ice and made it 3-1. That gave the Wings three goals in four minutes. Nikita Kucherov turned the tide with a power play goal midway through the second period.
Contact Helene St. James at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more about the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our red wings bulletin. His book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles Y Triumph Books. Personalized copies available through your email.
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