RECAP: Red Wings can't dig out of early hole, see streaks end with 6-3 loss to Lightning

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings didn’t finish the way they had hoped before departing for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off break, as their seven-game winning streak and season-high eight-game point streak both ended with a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena on Saturday afternoon.

However, the Red Wings (28-22-5; 61 points) can head into this two-week hiatus knowing what they need to clean up from their play against the Lightning (30-20-4; 64 points) and looking at the bigger picture in what they’ve accomplished over the past several weeks.

“Our game is in a pretty good spot,” said Alex DeBrincat, who recorded a goal and two assists for his third three-point game of the season. “Obviously, not as good tonight but overall, we’re doing good things and winning games. The feeling is confident in that room. The break is going to be nice to get rested and come back full strength.”

The Atlantic Division foes played an eventful first period, but Detroit found itself in a 4-2 hole after 20 minutes of play.

“Usually, the coach is coming in and losing his marbles because lack of effort, no energy, bad body language and all those types of things,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “I thought we had that, but we didn’t have any game-management skills at all. A number of turnovers. The gifts that we gave them, I didn’t see that part coming.”

Tampa Bay got the scoring started early, just 1:28 after puck drop, as Brandon Hagel fired a wrist shot on a rush that went in off goalie Alex Lyon’s glove to make it 1-0. Getting another for the visitors just 1:56 later, Erik Cernak’s shot from the point found its way home through traffic for a 2-0 lead.

Lyon was then pulled for netminder Cam Talbot, who finished with 11 saves in relief.

Hitting an impressive personal milestone, Vladimir Tarasenko’s seventh goal of the season and 300th of his NHL career cut it to 2-1 at 9:47 of the first period. The play started when Ben Chiarot laid a big hit on Dylan Duke at center ice, resulting in a loose puck that Andrew Copp scooped up and slid to Alex DeBrincat just below the Lightning’s blue line. DeBrincat then backhanded a pass to Mortiz Seider, who blasted a shot that Tarasenko deflected past netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy (34 saves).

“I thought that [Tarasenko] had a real good game tonight,” McLellan said. “Did a lot of things well. He was not at the scene of the crime, if you will, for any of the five or six goals against. He found a way to score. I thought he had brought some physicality to his game.”

Brayden Point and Nick Paul lit the lamp 3:24 apart later in the first period, giving Tampa Bay a three-goal lead.

But with 3:06 left before the first intermission, a wide-open Patrick Kane one-timed DeBrincat's feed across the slot for a power-play goal to make it 4-2. Lucas Raymond also picked up an assist on Kane’s 12th goal of the campaign, which he scored just eight seconds into Detroit’s man-advantage opportunity.

DeBrincat notched the lone goal of the second period at the 14:29 mark, flipping one past Vasilevskiy on a breakaway after stealing the puck from Darren Raddysh along the wall. His 24th tally of the season closed the Red Wings within 4-3.

“We failed to get it even in the second [period],” McLellan said. “Now, everybody gets to regroup. They’ve won not just because they scored, but because they check well. I thought they did a better job of that in the third. It was tough for us to come back.”

Tampa Bay went in front, 5-3, at 4:10 into the third period when Duke, who played three seasons (2021-24) at the University of Michigan, pounced on a rebound for his first career goal in his NHL debut. Hagel added an empty-net goal at 17:57 for the 6-3 final.

“In the third [period], we got a little bit back to what we were in the first,” McLellan said. “We’re still consistently trying to find our game. That team is poised enough. They’ve won enough. They sit in the weeds long enough and have guys that take advantage of carelessness. We offered them a plate full of it."

NEXT UP: The Red Wings will host the Minnesota Wild at Little Caesars Arena on Feb. 22.

Fans can also cheer on captain Dylan Larkin and Raymond, who will represent the United States and Sweden, respectively, at the best-on-best tournament that will be held at Montreal’s Bell Centre and Boston’s TD Garden from Feb. 12-20.

POSTGAME QUOTES

McLellan on the decision to pull Lyon for Talbot in the first period

“Two of the first three [shots] went it. We’re two minutes into the game…Here’s the thing about pulling a goaltender. When you pull a goaltender, he leaves the game and not heard or seen anymore. Everybody asks questions after. When a coach has an [expletive] night, he doesn’t get pulled. He just stays in the game and stands there. When a player has an [expletive] night, they continue on. It’s so magnified for the goaltenders. It’s a tough position to play, but we had given up four goals on our first six shots. By no means is that on the two guys that wear the pads.”

DeBrincat on the progress the club has made since the calendar year flipped to 2025

You’re going to have off games. You’re going to lose games. You’re not going to win every one, but it sucks the way we came out today. After that first [period], I thought we played well and had a chance to get back in the game. I think we forget about this one, come back after the break rested and get back to work.”

Chiarot on how spending most of Saturday’s matinee chasing impacted the way they wanted to play

“It shouldn’t really change anything. We should try and be aggressive all the time, but they’re a team that if you make a mistake with the puck it’s a good chance there’s going to be some sort of chance coming the other way. It exposes you to that a little bit.”