DeBrincat Forces Overtime but Lightning Strike Fast as Red Wings Fall 4-3

The Detroit Red Wings came within seconds of forcing a shootout on Monday night at Tampa Bay. Instead, they left Amalie Arena with nothing to show for a valiant comeback effort.

Alex DeBrincat forced overtime with a tying goal late in the third period, giving the Red Wings a glimmer of hope after they had climbed back from a 3-1 hole. But the Lightning responded with lethal speed in the extra session. DeBrincat led a rush into Tampa Bay territory to begin overtime, could not convert on his chance, and the Lightning rushed the other way. Nikita Kucherov buried the winner just 27 seconds into the period, handing Detroit a 4-3 defeat.

The loss capped a game that saw momentum swing wildly in both directions. David Perron gave the Red Wings an early lead, but a second Detroit goal was waved off, stalling their momentum. Tampa Bay answered with Conor Geekie first goal of the season to knot the score before the first period ended.

The Lightning took control in the second frame, with Erik Cernak and Jake Guentzel finding the net to build the two-goal advantage. Marco Kasper brought the Red Wings back within one in the third before DeBrincat equalizer sent the game to overtime.

The finish was a tough-luck ending for a Detroit team that had clawed its way back from the brink. Head coach Todd McLellan squad showed resilience in erasing the deficit, but the extra session belonged to Tampa Bay.

The win keeps Tampa Bay hopes alive for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs against Montreal. The Lightning can clinch that edge with a victory Wednesday night at home against the New York Rangers.

Detroit will close its regular season Wednesday in Florida against the Panthers.

Patrick Kane recorded an assist on DeBrincat tying goal, pushing him to 1,400 career points. The future Hall of Famer became just the 24th player in NHL history to reach that milestone, joining an elite group that includes Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin.