In Tampa, Brayden Point hit for the game-winner on Saturday, midway through extra time to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Brian Elliott made 26 saves to get the win, and end a three-game skid for the Bolts.
“I think there was a sense of relief,” Elliott said. “This is something that can let us move forward.”
Tampa needed a goal from Steve Stamkos to get the game to extra tie.
“He was just fantastic, I thought, especially early on in the game,” Point said. “He was a difference-maker out there.”
Newly acquired Oskar Sundqvist hit for Detroit’s only goal.
“I thought there were parts of the game where we did good stuff,” Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “We defended pretty well against a pretty high-octane team. We didn’t create enough chances. There were parts of the game where we could have had more net presence.”
Detroit fell to 26-31-8.
“This was a big win for us,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “When we coughed up a lead in Boston (a 3-2 loss to the Bruins on Thursday), our guys were dejected. So today we talked about making sure we stayed engaged even if they got the lead. I think we actually played our best hockey after they went up 1-0.”
Alex Nedeljkovic made 34 saves in the Detroit loss.
“I thought we were the better team for two periods and probably the better team all game at [5-on-5],” Nedeljkovic said. “But we’re way past the part of the season where we are thinking about good wins or how we measure up against the Lightning.
“We’re [22] points out of a playoff spot when we should be contending for one, and this is a game we should have won. Nothing else matters.”
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