TAMPA - There’s an phenomenon in hockey known as a scheduled loss.
Generally it means when the schedule comes out in the summer, there are certain games that can be circled as a loss.
Tuesday fell in to that category for the Lightning, which returned home from a long road trip just before dawn two days earlier.
The first game back at home, particularly one that starts a six-game homestand, often turn in to struggles for the home team.
But in the final stretch drive of the season and playoff spots on the line, Tampa Bay pushed all the cliches aside and took a step closer to securing a playoff berth with a 6-2 victory against Detroit.