The Red Wings are 50-15 when winning Game 1 of a series as opposed to 19-35 when losing Game 1…. The game was nip-and-tuck until the closing minutes, when the Lightning pulled away. When Blunden was finally able to make it to his feet, everyone could see his face was significantly torn up.
Advertisement
Although Detroit briefly tied the game at 2 on a power-play goal by Brad Richards early in the third period, the pivotal late moments of the second period set the stage for Tampa Bay’s 5-2 victory.
Though the game may have been out of hand, the Red Wings were not about to sit back and take the beating. They are still a lethal combo, though, and you can not forget that line’s jam, Justin Abdelkader, who was exactly the pain-in-the-behind presence the Bolts figured he would be heading into that series.
Tampa Bay Lightning center Brian Boyle celebrates after scoring against the Detroit Red Wings, with teammate Vladislav Namestnikov (90), of Russian Federation, during the second period of Game 2 in a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup pla…
Johnson also had two assists, the first on Kucherov’s 5-on-3 power-play goal. But the tally they got was a significant one – it came during a long five-on-three in the first period. The 25-year-old is a sound defensive player and is a key cog on the squad’s penalty kill.
Bishop, of course, gets the start for Tampa Bay for this game, while the Wings will stick with Howard, who played strong in spite of the loss behind a 31-of-34 effort. The Lightning penalty kill held Detroit scoreless on five power plays.
As for the other Lightning goals (excluding the Killorn empty-netter), they all came off the rush.
In an aggressive second period, the Lightning reestablished their one-goal lead after rookie forward and anticipated Calder Trophy finalist Dylan Larkin scored his first career NHL Playoff goal just eight seconds after exiting the penalty box for a hooking penalty on Kucherov. “I specialize in those and rightfully so….”
Last season, Johnson put up 72 points in the regular season then led the playoffs with 13 goals and 23 points in 26 games.
Killorn took a feed from Tyler Johnson and slipped the puck past Jimmy Howard at 8:52 of the third. Killorn found Johnson in front of an open net for the tip-in. Nikita Kucherov scored twice.
Killorn has started the series with a bang, rattling off four points and a plus-6 rating in the first two games. But the Lightning have been more efficient at cashing in on their looks.
Advertisement
After a chippy first game, Lightning coach Jon Cooper expected both teams to settle down as they settled into the first round of the playoffs. Now Detroit will try to match that feat. And the chip on his shoulder that he has showed in his last 3 games was developed in the AHL as Don Cherry pointed out on Coach’s Corner “he’s a different guy for sure, he’s the guy looking for trouble”.
