Lightning rally again, defeat Red Wings
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning rallied for their fourth straight come-from-behind victory, getting two power-play goals at the end of the second period on the way to a 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night at Amalie Arena.
Tampa Bay (38-29-9) kept pace in a tight Eastern Conference wild-card race and picked up some distance on the Islanders, who went into the night a point behind Tampa Bay but lost to the Flyers. The Lightning completed a five-game sweep of the Red Wings (31-34-12) this season, a first in their franchise history, and have beaten Detroit in 11 of the last 12 meetings. While Detroit will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1990, the Lightning are still very much alive with six games remaining, thanks to another comeback.
Two power-play goals in the final five minutes of the second period were the difference in the game, with goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy getting 29 saves for the win. The Lightning won despite playing a man down the entire game, with leading scorer Nikita Kucherov a late scratch due to illness and four other key players -- centers Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson and Cedric Paquette and defenseman Jason Garrison -- out with injuries.
Rookie Yanni Gourde, who had the game-winner in overtime in Monday's wild win against Chicago, added a goal in the third period, his third this season, and Detroit answered with a power-play goal from defenseman Mike Green to cut the lead to 5-3 with 11:42 to play.
Tampa Bay fell behind early, then used a strong second period to pull away to a 4-2 lead entering the final period, thanks to two late power-play goals.
Red Wings defenseman Danny DeKeyser, who had scored just his fourth goal of the season with 7:14 left to tie the score at 2, made two costly mistakes that led to Lightning goals on the power play.
On the first, Tampa Bay's Alex Killorn fired a shot that was stopped by Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek, but as DeKeyser went to clear the loose puck, he mishandled it and sent it straight into the net for a 3-2 Lightning lead with 3:47 left. That was credited as Killorn's 18th goal of the season.
DeKeyser was called for cross-checking with 2:18 left in the second and the Lightning again converted the power play. Jonathan Drouin stick-handled through the Red Wings' penalty-kill unit and fired a shot past Mrazek for his 21st goal of the season and a 4-2 lead with 1:56 to play.
Detroit jumped out to the early lead in a physical first period.
Frans Nielsen scored his 15th goal of the season with 15:38 left. Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman failed to clear a puck behind the net, and Darren Helm fired a quick pass to Nielsen in front of the net to beat Vasilevskiy for the 1-0 lead.
That lead stood until nearly the final minute of the first, when J.T. Brown -- who had already served five minutes for fighting -- fired a shot between Mrazek and the right post for a 1-1 tie, just his third goal of the season.
Lightning defenseman Andrej Sustr got his third goal of the season for a 2-1 lead early in the second as Ondrej Palat's shot went off his skate and into the net.
That lead didn't last long, but the Lightning got the last two goals of the second.
Kucherov leads the Lightning with 38 goals.
NOTES: Detroit RW Anthony Mantha left the game with an upper-body injury and did not return. ... Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman had the assist on Jonathan Drouin's goal late in the second period, and with that, set a Lightning record for points in a season by a defenseman with 66 this season. The record had been 65 by Roman Hamrlik in 1995-96. He has 15 goals and 51 assists on the season. ... Detroit played without C Luke Glendening, who missed his second straight game with a foot/ankle injury. C Ben Street was a healthy scratch. ... Tampa Bay recalled RW Joel Vermin from Syracuse, and he played nine shifts to help the short-handed Lightning front line.