It’s finally happened, and not a moment too soon.
The Detroit Red Wings finally broke their streak of futility against their rival Tampa Bay Lightning, winning a regular season game at Amalie Arena for the first time since February of 2011, a span of 17 games.
Their 5-1 victory on Easter Sunday was due in large part to an offensive outburst in the 2nd period that saw them tally three goals in as many minutes. Dylan Larkin, Michael Rasmussen, Valtteri Filppula, Marc Staal and Darren Helm (empty net) all scored for Detroit, who improved to 13-22-5 in 2021. Meanwhile, the defending champion Lightning fell to 26-10-2.
Goaltender Thomas Greiss made 27 saves for this third victory of the season, while Christopher Gibson took the loss for Tampa with 13 saves.
The Red Wings return home for a two game series against the Nashville Predators beginning on Tuesday.
