Red Wings Report: Inside Shots
This was the kind of scene Steve Yzerman reveled in for 27 years as a player and front office executive in Detroit: an arena packed with thousands of fans dressed in red and white, chanting "Let's Go Red Wings!" and an octopus tossed onto the ice.
But Yzerman didn't enjoy seeing that on Thursday. The first-year general manager of Tampa Bay watched his old club dominate his team as the Red Wings beat the Lightning 6-2 at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Both clubs had 74 points heading into the game, but the Red Wings showed just how far ahead they really are.
"We knew they were going to be up for this game," Detroit's Danny Cleary said. "They're having a good season. Both teams used it as a measuring stick, so it was an important win for us."
The Wings appear to have gotten back on track, winning three games in a row after a stretch in which they went 1-3 and were shut out twice. They look to continue their roll Friday at Florida.
RED WINGS 6, LIGHTNING 2: It was a dominant effort at both ends of the ice by Detroit. The Wings had good balance, using four lines and getting at least one point from 10 different players. Detroit allowed 40 shots, but most were from the outside as Tampa Bay could not penetrate and had few second chances and little sustained pressure. Pavel Datsyuk led the way with two goals. His linemate, Dan Cleary, had a goal and two assists.
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