Tampa Bay held a two-goal advantage before Saturday’s NHL matinee reached its third minute of hockey, and the Lightning went on to earn their third straight win with help from the newest Bolt.
The Lightning beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 at Little Caesars Arena and are now 30-20-4 this season.
Saturday’s game saw the Atlantic Division teams combine for six goals in the first period. Tampa Bay led 2-0 before Detroit made it 2-1, and the Lightning added two more goals prior to a Patrick Kane goal on the power play.
The Red Wings scored the lone goal of the middle frame to make it 4-3.
Rookie Dylan Duke scored on a rebound in period three, giving the 21-year-old forward a goal in his NHL debut and the Lightning a 5-3 lead following a slow second period.
Forward Brandon Hagel led the Lightning with four points on Saturday, while Nikita Kucherov and Erik Cernak each had three points. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves for the win in the Lightning net.
Tampa Bay plays another afternoon game on Sunday in Montreal, the team’s final contest before the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
Scoring summary
First period
TBL 1, DET 0
1:28 Brandon Hagel (25) - Nikita Kucherov, Erik Cernak
Tampa Bay took less than 90 seconds to get on the scoresheet. Forward Brandon Hagel entered the offensive zone and let his shot fly from
TBL 2, DET 0
2:56 Erik Cernak (2) - Ryan McDonagh, Nikita Kucherov
Another early goal built on the Lightning lead. Defenseman Erik Cernak’s shot from the point evaded goalie Alex Lyon, whose vision was blocked by a netfront screen from Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli.
TBL 2, DET 1
9:47 Vladimir Tarasenko (7) - Moritz Seider, Alex DeBrincat
The 300th goal of Vladimir Tarasenko came on a deflection in front and cut the Lightning lead in half.
TBL 3, DET 1
11:49 Brayden Point (30) - Gage Goncalves, Brandon Hagel
Brayden Point scored his 30th goal of the season on the rush to regain the visitors’ two-goal lead, shooting into the top right corner of the net after a pass from rookie Gage Goncalves.
TBL 4, DET 1
15:13 Nick Paul (15) - Hagel, Cernak
A breakaway goal by forward Nick Paul pushed the Lightning lead even further, making it 4-1 in the closing minutes of the opening period.
TBL 4, DET 2
16:54 Patrick Kane (12) - DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond - PP
Patrick Kane’s shot at the right post halved the home team’s deficit on the power play.
Shots on goal: DET 10, TBL 7
Second period
TBL 4, DET 3
14:29 DeBrincat (24) - Unassisted
Detroit made Saturday a one-goal game after DeBrincat forced a turnover and buried his shot on the chance in tight.
Shots on goal: DET 19, TBL 5
Third period
TBL 5, DET 3
4:10 Dylan Duke (1) - Mitchell Chaffee, Nick Perbix
Rookie Dylan Duke scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game to add a cushion to Tampa Bay’s lead in the third period. Duke found a rebound near the front of the net and buried the puck on his backhand.
TBL 6, DET 3
17:57 Hagel (26) - Kucherov, McDonagh - EN
An empty-net goal from Hagel gave him his fourth point of the night and sealed the victory.
Total shots: DET 37, TBL 18
