Red Wings Finish Southeast Trip with Win over Lightning

A three-goal third period helped the Detroit Red Wings to a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night as Detroit closed out a three-game Southeast Division road trip.

Mikael Samuelsson scored just 2:12 into the final frame to give the Red Wings their first lead of the game at 4-3. After the end of a Tampa Bay power play, the Red Wings took control and kept pressure on in the offensive zone. The Lightning never got properly set up and when a rebound came to Samuelsson off the right wing boards, he one-timed it back past goalie John Grahame and into the net.

Pavel Datsyuk scored 35 seconds later, putting in a rebound with Grahame out of position.

Sean Burke took over the net for the Lightning after the Datsyuk goal, his second of the night, but he couldn’t stop good friend Brendan Shanahan at 9:31 of the period.

With Detroit on the power play, Henrik Zetterberg took the puck behind the Tampa Bay goal and sent a pass out front to Shanahan, who was wide open outside the crease. He banged it in to close out the game’s scoring.

The Lightning had scored first when Rob DiMaio knocked a rebound out of the air on a power play at 4:29 of the first.

Detroit responded 1:24 later when Datsyuk scored his first of the night, rushing into the Tampa Bay zone and stepping around a defender to wrist a shot from the right circle into the far side of the net.

Tampa Bay regained the lead with another power play goal at 3:18 of the second, as captain Dave Andreychuk tipped a shot from the point between the pads of Detroit goalie Chris Osgood.

Johan Franzen tied the game again when he drove the net as Kris Draper fought his way to the side of the goal with the puck. Draper sent a centering pass to Franzen, who had a wide open net to score at 6:17.

Rookie Ryan Craig scored his first goal of the season to give the Lightning their final lead 2:27 later, tipping a shot from the point past Osgood.

Jason Woolley evened the game with 1:21 left in the middle period. Jason Williams sent a smart cross-ice pass from the point to Woolley as he streaked into the zone and through the left circle. Woolley moved quickly to put a shot past Grahame to tie the game after two periods.

The Red Wings finished the game converting one of their five power play chances and allowing two Lightning goals on their eight chances with the man-advantage.

Osgood stopped 28 of 31 shots against in net for Detroit while Grahame made 19 saves on 24 shots and Burke turned aside four of the five shots he faced.

Detroit is off until Thursday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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Red Wings defenseman Mathieu Schneider left the game in the first period with a hamstring injury. He did not return… Jamie Rivers was inserted into the lineup in place of rookie Brett Lebda.