It was quite a spirited performance, but the Wings fall 3-2 in Game 1 at Tampa Bay to open the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Wings entered with a bunch of question marks about their aging leaders (Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg), goaltending, a rookie coach and mediocre blue line that backed into the playoffs courtesy of a Boston Bruins meltdown.
But the Wings were up to the task in a scrum-filled game tonight. Mike Green and Justin Abdelkader scored in a 1-minute, 56-second span to provide a brief Detroit lead in the second period, but Tampa Bay rallied to take the opener.