The Detroit Red Wings lost a 6-3 decision to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon, snapping Detroit’s 7-game winning streak and 7-0-and-1 unbeaten streak.
I will say this: it’s going to be fun to watch these teams tangle on Friday, April 11th, because they do not like each other one bit:
Edvinsson mixing it up with Eyssimont after the buzzer. Soderblom, Kasper, Johansson all involved but nothing more than some shoving and jawing. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/2MJbYxLKPI
— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) February 8, 2025
Regrettably, the Red Wings showed more fire at the end of the game than they did for significant stretches thereof, and they enter the Four Nations Face-Off break with a 28-22-and-5 record and 61 points.
For the Lightning, who are 4-0-and-1 of late, their spirits are high going into tomorrow’s First Nations-half finale against the Montreal Canadiens, where they’ll be able to push their 3-point lead over the Red Wings to 5 points, presuming that they earn a victory.
The Lightning’s coach, Jon Cooper, told the Tampa Bay Times that he was pleasantly surprised by the Bolts’ scoring outburst:
“Us getting four goals in a game in the past five weeks has been a problem,” said Lightning head coach Jon Cooper, whose team jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first 16 minutes. “For us to have finally kind of a first-period explosion … We kind of felt it in the Ottawa series (wins of 4-3 on Tuesday and 5-1 on Thursday) that maybe our looks were starting to go in the net, and finally they did (Saturday).”
Dylan Duke also scored for Tampa Bay in his NHL debut. Duke, who played for the University of Michigan last season, was called up from Syracuse of the American Hockey League on Friday.
“(The puck) was laying right there,” Duke said after his putback extended the Lightning lead to 5-3 just over four minutes into the third period. “I was fortunate to be in the right spot at the right time and just hammer it home, and then emotions just kind of took over from there.”
Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves on 37 shots.
“Give Detroit credit,” Cooper said. ”They kept pushing, and our goalie was huge for us.”
The Red Wings’ Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 300th career goal during the first period. Alex DeBrincat had a goal and two assists. Patrick Kane also scored for Detroit. Cam Talbot stopped 11 of the 14 shots he faced. Talbot replaced Alex Lyon, who was pulled after allowing goals to Hagel and [Erik] Cernak in the first 2:56.
“I feel like we started really well,” Cernak said. “We got a couple of goals at the start of the game. Obviously, Detroit was pushing in the second period. We kind of handled it, and then in the third we knew we had to do better. I think everybody was doing a great job in the D-zone, didn’t turn pucks over and stuff like that, so I think that was a really good team effort.”
As NHL.com’s Dave Hogg noted, the Bolts’ offensive extravaganza was spread around their roster…
Brandon Hagel, who will be representing Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20, had two goals and two assists, and Erik Cernak (one goal, two assists) and Nikita Kucherov (three assists) each had three points for the Lightning (30-20-4), who have won three in a row and extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1). Andrei Vasilevskiy made 34 saves.
“We started really well, and they obviously pushed back in the second period,” Cernak said. “We kind of handled it, but we know we need to be better, which we were in the third.”
But the Red Wings were not happy at all with their performance, from coach Todd McLellan on down:
Alex DeBrincat had a goal and two assists, and Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 300th NHL goal for the Red Wings (28-22-5), who lost for the first time since Jan. 21 (2-1 in overtime at the Philadelphia Flyers). It was the second-longest active win streak in the NHL behind the Winnipeg Jets, who have won eight in a row.
“We didn’t have any game management at all,” coach Todd McLellan said. “I didn’t think we might have the jump or drive we might need, but the turnovers — the gifts we gave them — I didn’t see that part coming.”
Alex Lyon allowed two goals on three shots before being pulled at 2:56 of the first. He was relieved by Cam Talbot, who made 11 saves.
“When you pull a goaltender, he leaves the game and he’s not heard or seen anymore,” McLellan said. “When a coach has a (bad) night, he doesn’t get pulled. When a player has a (bad) night, they continue on. So, it is magnified for the goaltenders.”
McLellan told the Free Press’s Helene St. James that he didn’t peel the paint in the Wings’ locker room, despite the team being down 4-1…
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told them between the first and second period,” McLellan said. “Usually the coach is coming in and losing his marbles because of lack of effort and no energy and bad body language and all those types of things. I thought we had that. But we didn’t have any game management skills at all — the number of turnovers, the gifts that we gave them — I didn’t see that part coming. That’s disappointing.”‘
Goals from Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane stemmed some of the damage inflicted in the first period, which saw the Lightning score twice in the opening three minutes. McLellan took the unusual move of pulling Alex Lyon that quickly, but Cam Talbot didn’t fare much better in the first, giving up two goals on four shots.
“Can’t start like that, slow, against a good team like that,” defenseman Ben Chiarot said. “Puts you in too big a hole.”
It took a furious second period, in which the Wings outshot their opponent, 19-5, to make it a one-goal game, with Alex DeBrincat taking advantage of Darren Raddysh’s turnover to score near the 15-minute mark.
Dylan Duke, a former Michigan hockey player making his NHL debut (a few hours before his younger brother was set to play for the Wolverines at LCA), scored early in the third period, which prompted the Wings (28-22-5) to pull Talbot with more than four minutes to play. Brandon Hagel turned the empty net into his second goal of the game.
“I think big picture, you’re going to have off games,” DeBrincat said. “But after the first, I thought we played well, had a chance to get back in the game. I think we forget about this one and come back after the break.”
In the smaller picture, however, coach McLellan made a point to tell the media that he wasn’t blaming his goaltenders for the loss, at least not in full, as the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan noted…
“Two of the first three (shots) went in and we’re two minutes into the game,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “The thing about pulling a goaltender, when you pull a goaltender, he leaves the game and he’s not heard from again and everybody asks questions after. When the coach has a (crappy) night, he doesn’t get pulled, he stays in the game and stands there. A player has a (crappy) night, and they continue, so it’s magnified for the goaltenders.
“It’s a tough position to play but we gave up four goals on our first six shots. By no means is it on the two guys that wore the pads, because as I alluded to earlier, we were so careless. Maybe if they got us one save out of the four (goals) but it’s a team loss, not just on the targets.”
McLellan spoke the day before about the danger of playing the day before a long break. Families are packed and ready to escape the cold weather, minds might not be focused, and bodies could be a half-step slow.
McLellan continued to offer points of emphasis going forward while lamenting the Wings’ first-period effort…
“We’ve worked hard to develop a way we need to play, and it didn’t exist in the first period,” McLellan said. “It was there in the second, you could feel and see the difference (the Wings outshot Tampa 19-5 in the middle period). In the third we got back a little bit to what we were in the first (period), so we’re still trying to find our game. That team (Tampa) is poised enough, and they’ve won enough, they sit in the weeds long enough and take advantage of carelessness. We offered a plate full of it in the first period.”
And while Alex DeBrincat emphasized the positive to Kulfan in both his recap…
The Wings are off until Feb. 22 when they host Minnesota, returning from the 4-Nations Face-Off tournament. Having gone 15-5-1 since McLellan was hired on Dec. 26, and charging into the playoff picture, though Saturday’s loss stung, the Wings go into this break in a different state of mind than the Christmas break.
“Our game is in a pretty good spot,” DeBrincat said. “Not as good tonight, but overall, we’re doing good things and winning games, and the feeling is confident in the room. The break will be nice to get rested and come back at full strength.”
And Kulfan’s notebook…
“Big picture, you are going to have off games and lose games,” said forward Alex DeBrincat, who had a goal and two assists for the Wings, having a hand in all three goals. “You’re not going to win every (game). It stinks the way we came out today but after the first period, we played well and had a chance to get back in the game. We’ll forget about this one and come back after the break rested and get back to work.”
Coach McLellan wanted the players–and the coaching staff–to have a few corrective points of emphasis on their mind while they packed for their vacations:
“They’re off to wherever they’re off to and that’s good,” McLellan said. “They deserve it and they’ll forget about this one quickly, and it’ll be hard for us to take them emotionally back to tonight two weeks from now. But I don’t think we crossed the line of being over-confident or cocky, arrogant. Not one bit. We crossed the line of being careless and reckless and there’s a significant difference in that.”
You can bet stressing better game management will be a key point when the Wings return to the ice for practice [on Tuesday,] Feb. 18.
“The good thing about where we’re at now is we can take some time to breathe and we’ll review as a staff where we’ve been and where we’ve come,” McLellan said. “We’ll focus on focal points, what we need to work on, and some of the things we saw tonight. Game management skills are really tough to work on in practice because there is no score, no line matching, and it’s hard to recreate stressful situations. So game management skills have to keep coming through video and experience, and for us to move forward, those are going to have to improve.”
And, regarding the rough stuff…
The game ended with several Wings and Tampa players pushing and shoving and tempers heating up. In the middle of it were young players Simon Edvinsson and Marco Kasper, standing their ground against the experienced Lightning.
“They are both determined players,” McLellan said. “They both have size and can take care of themselves. I like the fact they stand their ground. There’s not much that goes on but stand your ground and we’ll move on. They’re very capable of it.”
Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff put things bluntly regarding the Wings’ overall game…
Quite simply, they were just a sloppy bunch that gave away a game they needed to win.
“Obviously not very good,” defenseman Ben Chiarot said. “Can’t start like that slow against a good team like that.”
“I don’t think we crossed the line of being overconfident and cocky, arrogant,” McLellan added. “We crossed the line of being careless and reckless, and there’s a significant difference in that.”
McLellan did offer praise for Vladimir Tarasenko’s performance, as he told Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff…
“I thought that Vladdy had a real good game tonight,” Detroit coach Todd 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.”
Tarasenko had four shots on goal as the Red Wings played from behind for almost a full 60 minutes.
Tarasenko is the fourth active Russian player to reach the 300-goal milestone, joining Alex Ovechkin (879), Evgeni Malkin (507) and Nikita Kucherov (345). He is the third member of the 2010 NHL Draft class to score at least 300 goals, joining Jeff Skinner (367)
and Tyler Seguin (360).“Found a way to score,” McLellan said. “Thought he had brought some physicality to his game and karma kind of all goes together when all those things are happening, you find a way to score. So we’re all happy for him and. And maybe this is the beginning of regular production. ”
But Ben Chiarot expressed disappointment regarding the team’s overall game to MLive’s Ansar Khan…
Said Ben Chiarot: “Can’t start that slow against a good team like that. Puts you in too big a hole when you spend most of the game chasing. They’re a team that you make a mistake with the puck, there’s going to be some sort of chance coming the other way.”
So where are the Red Wings right now?
Coach McLellan offered this to DetroitRedWings.com’s Jonathan Mills…
“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.”
The Hockey News’s Sam Stockton offered this…
After an outstanding start to 2025 under McLellan, the Red Wings certainly limped into the 4 Nations Face-Off break with Saturday’s performance. After the game, McLellan was asked if the game may have provided a worthwhile serving of “humble pie” for his team. In response, McLellan explained that, pragmatically, that was unlikely to be the case for a team heading into a roughly two-week layoff. Instead, the coach suggested his team was better off flushing the game in a hurry before enjoying their time off.
“I would normally agree with you 100%, but let’s face it, they’re off to wherever they’re off to tomorrow, and that’s good. They deserve it,” McLellan said, of the idea of “humble pie.” “They’re gonna forget about this one quickly, and it’s gonna be hard for us tot take them emotionally back to tonight two weeks from now…I don’t think we crossed the line of being over-confident and cocky, arrogant. Not one bit. We crossed the line of being careless and reckless, and there’s a significant difference in that.”
DeBrincat, asked whether this loss would linger or Detroit would look at the broader picture of the season and successful run through January and early February, replied, “I think big picture. I think you’re gonna have off games, you’re gonna lose games, you’re not gonna win every one. But yeah, it sucks the way we came out today, but after that first, I thought we played well and had a chance to get back in the game…I think we forget about this one and come back from the break rested and get back to work.”
Saturday’s performance was undeniably a poor one, but that does little to diminish what the Red Wings did between the Christmas break and the present one. Even after Saturday’s defeat, Detroit sits in a playoff position as of this writing; that would’ve been nothing short of unthinkable.
That the preceding run was so successful makes Saturday’s effort an easier pill to swallow, and the break allows the Red Wings the luxury of simply moving on from a lackluster effort, enjoying some rest and relaxation, then returning in two weeks time to get back to the playoff chase.
While The Athletic’s Max Bultman offered this:
By the end of the game against Tampa Bay, Detroit was holding steady in the conference’s second wild-card position — 1 point behind division rival the Ottawa Senators. But its grip on that spot is tepid and could change depending on results in Boston and Columbus later Saturday. Also lurking in the weeds are the New York Rangers and New York Islanders, both of whom have started to find their game and are still within striking range.
The Vegas Golden Knights did the Red Wings a favor, defeating Ottawa 4-3 this afternoon and evening…
If you include the Lightning, that’s seven teams battling for, realistically, three spots down the stretch. And the Red Wings have the league’s hardest remaining strength of schedule, with a combined opponents’ points percentage of .586.
The good news is, that will include multiple head-to-head chances against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Senators in the second half, and they will also get another look at the Lightning and Boston Bruins. But it’s going to be a real challenge to emerge from that pack.
It’s a testament to how good Detroit has been under McLellan that the Red Wings are even in this position at the break. At Christmas, before the Red Wings brought him in to replace Derek Lalonde, they looked destined for another year in the NHL Draft lottery.
After going 15-5-1, though, they’ve earned their way back into the race. They’ve seen surges of growth from young players such as Kasper and Albert Johansson, and returns to form from veterans such as Chiarot and Andrew Copp. Saturday notwithstanding, they’ve made strides defensively, and perhaps most impressively, have done it while getting more aggressive. They’re scoring more and finding ways to win even on nights they don’t.
It’s been a great story — one of the best in the NHL over the last six weeks. The loss Saturday means the story will not be going into the break on a high note. But it’s all set up for one heck of a race to the finish when they return.
Multimedia:
Highlights: NHL.com posted a 10:13 highlight clip:
Sportsnet posted a 10:22 highlight clip:
Post-game: The Lightning’s website posted clips of Erik Cernak and Dylan Duke’s post-game comments;
The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a 6:19 clip of Alex DeBrincat, Ben Chiarot and coach Todd McLellan’s post-game remarks…
And Red Wings posted a 7:45 clip of DeBrincat, Chiarot and coach McLellan’s post-game comments:
Photos: The Free Press posted a 44-iamge gallery;
And the Tampa Bay Lightning’s website posted a 22-image gallery.
Statistics: Here are the Game Summary and Event Summary:
