TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Mikhail Sergachev scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period on a power play and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 on Friday night.
Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos also scored for Tampa Bay, Victor Hedman had three assists, and backup Brian Elliott made 22 saves.
The Lightning, coming off a 5-1 loss to Pittsburgh on Thursday night at home, have not lost consecutive games in regulation this season.
“We’re a competitive group ” Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “We hate losing almost more than than we like winning at times. It wasn’t the prettiest or fanciest game tonight from us, but it was winning hockey and a step in the right direction as far as that goes.”
Robby Fabbri scored and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 35 shots for the Red Wings, who have lost 18 of their last 19 games at Tampa Bay. Detroit’s NHL-worst road penalty kill allowed three goals on four Tampa Bay power plays, including Stamkos’ empty-netter.
“It’s frustrating right now,” Detroit center Dylan Larkin said, “A tough feeling but we have to bounce back. They get power-plays goals tonight, we get none. That’s kind of the story of the game.”
The Red Wings went 0 for 2 with the man advantage.
Sergachev made it 2-1 from the top of the right circle at 10:21 of the third. The defenseman has goals in two of the last three games after going 40 in a row without one.
The game was tied at 1 after the second as the teams traded goals during the middle period that saw Tampa Bay put together a 19-6 shot advantage.
The Lightning dominated the first 11 minutes of the second, getting all 16 shots, including a power-play goal at 6:43 for a 1-0 lead as Point redirected a shot by Hedman.
After Joe Veleno got the first shot for Detroit in the second at 11:02, Fabbri got the equalizer just over 2 minutes later with 6:55 left in the period.
“You have some of the zone time we had in the second period and then go to the (locker) room and it’s 1-1, you think, ‘Hey, maybe should be rewarded a little more.’ No, that’s not the way it works,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said “You keep doing this and hopefully you’re rewarded at the end of the game, and that’s what happened.”
Detroit’s Moritz Seider extended his franchise-record rookie point streak to eight games (11 assists, 12 points) when his slot shot trickled past Elliott and Fabbri sent the loose puck into the net. Seider leads NHL rookie defensemen with 41 points (36 assists, 41 points).
Seider is the fourth rookie defenseman in NHL history with a point streak of eight games or longer. The others are Shayne Gostisbehere (15 games in 2015-16), Barry Beck (10 games in 1977-78) and Kevin Shattenkirk (nine games in 2010-11).
Tampa Bay outshot the Red Wings 10-8 in a scoreless first period.
Red Wings center Carter Rowney left after eight shifts with a lower-body injury.
NUMBERS
Larkin had his 10-game point streak end (seven goals, 18 points). ... Elliott’s start was just his third since New Year’s Day, a span of 21 games. ... The Lightning are 22-2-2 overall against Detroit, dating to the 2015-16 season. ... Tampa Bay is 6-0-1 in the second game of back-to-backs, compared to 1-6-0 in the front half. ... McDonagh, Hedman and Sergachev all had five shots on goal.
UP NEXT
Red Wings: Play at Florida on Saturday night.
Lightning: Start a six-game trip at Chicago Sunday night. Tampa Bay plays 10 of its next 11 games on the road.
