Lightning at Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are creeping closer to playoff contention with a season-high four straight victories and hope to continue their run on Sunday, when they host the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. Detroit has allowed just six goals during its winning streak after Friday’s 4-2 victory over Florida but won’t have Jimmy Howard in net for the Atlantic Division battle due to a lower-body injury.
“The one thing this team has showed so far sitting where we sit today is, they have showed a good, resilient attitude,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill told the Detroit Free Press. “That’s our leadership. … They’ve done a good job of keeping it calm and continuing to work on the process.” Petr Mrazek will be in the crease for the Red Wings as they attempt to end a nine-game losing streak - including playoffs - against Tampa Bay, which won a pair of 3-2 decisions in October. The Lightning have lost consecutive games for just the second time this season after dropping a shootout decision at Montreal on Thursday and struggling in their own end two nights later to fall 6-3 at Ottawa. “There’s a group of guys that are going to have to circle the wagons in there, the leaders, and figure this one out, because we’re going down a road,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “This is the part of the season now where you can’t let things slide.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), FS Detroit
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (29-9-3): Defenseman Anton Stralman, who had led the league with a plus-26 rating coming into the weekend, joined rookie blue-line partner Mikhail Sergachev at minus-4 in the loss to Ottawa. Defensemen Victor Hedman, who has notched 14 points in his last 12 games, and Slater Koekkoek produced two of the three goals for Tampa Bay on Saturday. Andrei Vasilevskiy (league-best 26 victories) has started the first four games of the road trip, which could give Louis Domingue (0-6-0 with Arizona this season) his first shot in net for the Lightning.
ABOUT THE RED WINGS (17-16-7): Blashill told reporters he does not think Howard’s injury would be long term and will turn to Mrazek, who has not played since Dec. 19 and is 3-4-1 with an .892 save percentage this season. “I think (Mrazek has) worked hard to put himself in position to be ready,” Blashill told the media. “Now he’s got to go and play well.” Dylan Larkin has posted 10 of his team-leading 34 points in the last eight contests while captain Henrik Zetterberg, who notched his 600th career assist on Friday, is second on the club with 28.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay RW Nikita Kucherov recorded an assist Saturday for his 24th point in the last 18 games and a league-leading 58 overall.
2. Detroit LW Andreas Athanasiou has registered four goals in his last four contests after enduring a 15-game drought.
3. The Lightning have gone 4-for-33 on the power play over their last eight games to lose their spot atop the league in the category.