Wednesday night longtime Red Wing captain and current Lighting GM Steve Yzerman returned to the Joe as Detroit took on Tampa Bay putting their five game winning streak on the line.
Yzerman’s Lightning came up short however as the Wings were able to use a strong third period to beat Tampa Bay 4-2.
Pavel Datsyuk opened up the Detroit scoring in the first period before Jonathan Ericsson netted his first goal of the season putting the Wings up 2-0.
Tampa Bay was able to fight their way back in the second as Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos were able to even things up with Detroit.
However the Wings were able to regain their two goal lead in the third period as Tomas Holmstrom was able to light the lamp on the power play while Darren Helm added some much-needed insurance later in the period.
Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was spectacular once again making 21 saves and fending off a late shorthanded surge by the Lighting.
With tonight’s win Detroit’s 31 points moves into a three-way tie atop the Western Conference and a two-way tie for first in the Central Division with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Majors Detroit’s Player of the Game: Jimmy Howard
Despite only facing 23 shots tonight, Jimmy Howard was spectacular once again. The Red Wings goaltender made beautiful save after beautiful save late in the game preserving the win for Detroit.
The Majors Detroit Facebook Player of the Game: Jimmy Howard
The Majors Detroit’s Zero of the Game: Detroit Power Play
Even though they were able to capitalize once on the power play tonight, the Wings were shaky on the power play yet again tonight. Late in the third period Vincent Lecavalier was hit with a 4 minute double minor for high sticking. Instead of finishing off the Lighting, Detroit allowed Tampa Bay to keep plenty of pressure down in the Detroit end for a good portion of the power play and had to rely on Jimmy Howard to bail them out.
Looking Ahead: The Wings take to the road for a Friday night matchup with the Buffalo Sabres from the First Niagra Center in Buffalo, New York. Currently the Sabres sit at 13-10-1 and 3rd in the Northeast Division.
The Bottom Line: The Wings are certainly rolling right now after having tough run of things in the beginning of November. The power play is still somewhat concerning however given the amount of chances the Lighting were able to generate tonight.
Ref: Mlive.com, CBC.ca (image)
