To that end, the Lightning were extremely sharp in this victory over Detroit. Yes, the win came against a team well out of playoff contention. But the Lightning had endured some wobbly performances in recent contests against teams out of the playoff mix. That didn't happen tonight.
It's also true that the margin of victory was a narrow one. But make no mistake. The Lightning thoroughly dominated the Red Wings. Their puck management was virtually flawless, their forecheck was relentless, their d-zone coverage was tight and they badly outshot and outchanced the Wings. They aren't happy about having taken five penalties leading to Detroit power play chances, but their penalty kill, despite allowing one goal, was excellent.
Just how dominant were the Lightning in five-on-five play? Through two periods, the Red Wings had managed just seven shots on goal. In the third period, Detroit posted just one five-on-five shot prior to Nikita Kucherov's goal with 6:07 remaining. (In making a late push during the final five minutes, the Wings added six more shots to their total).
Frankly, there was only one reason why the game remained close. The goaltending of Jonathan Bernier. He made a handful of remarkable saves, especially during the final 40 minutes. If not for Bernier, the Lightning would have won this game by multiple goals.
Congratulations to Kucherov. When he netted the first of his two goals, he set the Lightning single-season franchise record for points (109). His aforementioned second strike, which turned out to be the game-winner, got him to 110.
Lightning Radio Three Stars of the Game (as selected by Phil Esposito):
1. Nikita Kucherov - Lightning. Two goals.
2. Ryan McDonagh - Lightning. Goal.
3. Jonathan Bernier - Red Wings. 30 saves.
