TAMPA, Fla. _ The Detroit Red Wings played well for parts of the game but the disparity in talent led to the predictable outcome.
The Wings' losing streak against the Tampa Bay Lightning extended to 11 games after a 4-1 defeat Thursday at Amalie Arena.
The Wings trailed 3-0 when Tomas Tatar scored late in the second period and trailed by three goals again by early in the third period after Alex Killorn scored off an odd-man rush. Nikita Kucherov earned his third assist of the game setting up that goal; he scored the second goal. Fellow Bolts superstar Steven Stamkos had two goals and elite defenseman Victor Hedman set up Tampa's first three goals. The Wings outshot Tampa, 39-32.
The Wings squandered a power play opportunity a minute into the game when Stamkos high-sticked Tyler Bertuzzi. Instead, Stamkos scored when he had an open shot down low off a cross-ice pass from Hedman, at 3:55. Gustav Nyquist trailed several feet behind Stamkos. Kucherov converted on a power play at 7:05.
The Wings played well in the first period overall, forechecking and getting pucks on net, but Andrei Vasilevskiy saw most of the shots. The Wings had a 17-12 edge in shots after the first period.
The Wings have struggled to be effective with the man advantage for nearly two months now. Since Dec. 23, they had scored six times on 57 opportunities entering Thursday. They had four shots on net though the first two power plays against Tampa Bay, but no good chances. The penalty kill came into the game having allowed 14 goals the past 46 times short-handed, and got burned on Tampa's first and third power plays. Stamkos made it 3-0 at 18:08 of the second period.
Tatar converted on a power play with 31 seconds to go in the second period. What made it work? Justin Abdelkader setting a screen on Vasilevskiy, so that he didn't see Tatar's shot as it went through Hedman's legs. Bertuzzi was also down low for a potential rebound chance.
Andreas Athanasiou missed the game because of illness. That opened up an opportunity for Bertuzzi to play with Dylan Larkin and Tatar, while David Booth entered the lineup and played on the fourth line.
