There were several keys to this impressive win for the Lightning. They were able to play with the lead and, at the same time, prevent the Red Wings from playing with the lead. They won the special teams battle, scoring two power play goals and not allowing any on Detroit’s two power play opportunities. And they received a terrific performance from the line of Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn.
In the first period, both teams put on a clinic of how to play structured, sound defensive hockey. Neither team had much room to make plays and while the Wings outshot the Lightning, 10-4, most of those Detroit shots were innocent attempts from the outside.