5 Takeaways from Lightning vs. Red Wings

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s two game win streak was snapped Tuesday night in disappointing fashion at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit hung on for a 4-3 victory for their first and only win of the season over the Lightning.

Let’s break down what happened.

1. Strong First, Poor Second

The Lightning had a very strong period all around in the opening period. After outshooting the Red Wings 15-5 in the first, the Lightning were outshot 16-13 in the second and conceded three consecutive goals. The Lightning deserved better after the strong first period they but still managed to score first in the middle period. However, their good work would quickly come undone just 22 seconds after Ross Colton’s goal to go ahead 1-0.

2. Vasilevskiy’s Second Period Struggles

In his last start this past Thursday, Andrei Vasilevskiy surrendered three straight goals against Anaheim and was pulled. Once again, Vasilevskiy was on the wrong end of three straight opposing goals. On the third Detroit goal, he was beaten five-hole off the rush, and you rarely see Vasilevskiy give up the five-hole.

3. A Tough Night for Sergachev

It was a difficult outing for Mikhail Sergachev, who had a pair of turnovers that led directly to Detroit goals. Sergachev was -3 on the night and his turnover at the offensive blue line turned into the eventual game winning goal for Detroit in the third peirod. The confidence in Sergachev did not falter from the coaching staff as he did not see much of a dip in his ice time.

4. Getting Goalied

Thomas Greiss played exceptionally in the Detroit crease. Sometimes you just get beat by a goaltender who is on their game. To be fair, Tampa Bay did not do enough to earn a victory, but Greiss made a number of big stops. He was able to stop 38 of the 41 Lightning shots that came his way.

5. Nice Night for Stamkos/Colton Combination

On a positive note, the Lightning may have found something with Colton and Steven Stamkos playing together. Colton had a pair of goals in the game, and both were assisted by Stamkos. Stamkos would have another assist for three on the night. The big night on the scoresheet tied Stamkos for the franchise scoring lead with 953 points. The captain will have a chance to break the record Thursday night at home against his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.