The Tampa Bay Lightning had their chances and the shots flew steady on Saturday, but the goals didn’t come as easily behind a game-stealing performance from Detroit Red Wings goalie Daniil Tarasov.
Tarasov stopped all 31 Lightning shots as Tampa Bay suffered its first shutout loss this season, 2-0. The Lightning are now 13-5-2.
"We feel like we have control of the game. We're getting looks. We're not giving up too much, just obviously didn't find a way to get one behind him,” defenseman Ryan McDonagh said postgame. “There were pucks laying all around him, and we couldn't get that second opportunity on him. Give them credit. They allowed him to see the puck a lot and cleared it out and didn't hurt themselves. So, as a road team, you like the way they played, and for us, it's just trying to execute a little bit better at times offensively when there were still looks to be made."
Despite early turnovers in the first period, the Lightning held Detroit to only four shots on goal. Tarasov did his part in the visitors’ net, making nine saves.
It was a Tarasov save that kicked off the only 5-on-5 goal of the night in the middle frame.
A shot from the point bounced off the glass to an open Jake Guentzel at the net, and Guentzel went to jam the puck home on an open look. Tarasov sprawled to lay his stick down, and the Red Wings cleared the puck.
Only moments later, Detroit took the night’s first—and game-deciding—lead.
During a Lightning line change, Lucas Raymond accepted a pass with his skate, kicked it to his tape to create a breakaway and buried his shot five-hole to make it 1-0 with 6:48 left in the second period.
“I feel like their goalie stole one. That’s what I felt like happened,” coach Jon Cooper said … “He played really, really well, and the one goal they do score, one of their guys makes an all-world pickup to himself on a pass that wasn't even going to him, and they went in all alone. So, I can't fault our process at all. It was like there was plexiglass behind the goalie. For whatever reason they weren't going in, but we had a lot of chances. Give them credit. They defended, and when we had our chances, the goalie made the save. That was it. It happens."
Tarasov continued to stand tall for the Red Wings in the second period by denying all 13 Lightning shots, including an open Kucherov one-timer in the high slot late in the frame.
“The execution could have been a little better,” Zemgus Girgensons said, “but I thought overall, throughout the game we were building more and more. That's three (games) in four (days) coming back from a trip. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to get in, but I mean, at the end of the day, we've just got to bury it.”
Tampa Bay had a pair of power play opportunities in the third period, but the Red Wings continued to shutter Lightning scoring looks.
Guentzel redirected a Carlson shot pass at the right post on one of those chances, but Tarasov made multiple stops once again to keep it a 1-0 game.
The night ended with a 31 to 22 advantage in shots on goal for the home team as Tampa Bay repeatedly skated to high-danger areas and got pucks on net, but Tarasov never relented.
“They played a great road game,” McDonagh said. “They knew they had the lead and didn't give us odd man looks, didn’t turn it over and kept everybody in front of them, so give them credit. They played a stingy, stingy game, and we've got to simplify, keep trying to execute and just continue to try to put pucks there even more so than we did tonight.”
Despite outshooting the Red Wings nine to five in the final frame, Tarasov capped the shutout by denying all 31 Lightning shots on goal.
The visitors then sealed the win with an empty-net goal by Michael Brandsegg-Nygard in the final minute.
Nikita Kucherov had five shots for the Lightning, while Carlson and Brandon Hagel each had four. Vasilevskiy played his part in Tampa Bay’s net, stopping 20 of 21 shots faced for a .952 save percentage.
The result was a loss, but the Lightning appreciated their approach to Saturday’s game despite missing multiple players in Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Erik Cernak.
“You're going to have games like this where it just doesn't find the back of the net. But we've had a great run here at home and a good road trip, and we shouldn't be discouraged with the process. There were a lot of guys contributing. Even though it didn't result in a win here, we've had different guys in the lineup, and everybody's been great when called upon, and that's all you ask for is whoever's in the lineup gives a great effort.
"We didn’t get the result we wanted, but there's a lot to like.”
The Lightning now turn their attention to the Washington Capitals, who visit Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Benjamin’s Three Stars:
1. Daniil Tarasov, DET (31-save shutout)
2. Andrei Vasilevskiy, TBL (20 saves)
3. Lucas Raymond, DET (Goal)
