The Daily: Much ado about nothing for Red Wings; Goalie Ullmark tallies for Bruins

Under normal circumstances, absorbing a 3-0 loss on home ice would be somewhat distressing for a hockey team. However, the Detroit Red Wings were expressing plenty of optimsim about their performance in Saturday’s 3-0 setback to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Little Caesars Arena. And they have every right to feel that way.

Detroit outshot the Lightning 45-18. That’s the second-most shots on goal by the team this season. The Red Wings fired 46 shots on Pittsburgh”s net on Dec. 28.

Show-stopping and perfect. ✨

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 45 saves on 45 shots in the @TBLightning's big win for a @pepsi shutout — Big Cat style. 😎 pic.twitter.com/D09dcTBCG5

— NHL (@NHL) February 26, 2023

“We’re not trying to get too low here,” Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin said. “We played a pretty good game. I think it’s one of our best games five on five in a long time. We just didn’t score.”

Heading to Ottawa for road games Monday and Tuesday, Detroit has lost back-to-back games in regulation just once over the club’s last 17 games.

“We’re not going to win out,” Larkin said. “It would be awesome if we did. But it’s pretty unrealistic. We have to keep responding well and we’re treating this like our playoffs right now because it is. We’re fighting for our lives.”

Griffins Shine In Victory

Two goals from Dominik Shine were helping the Grand Rapids Griffins whip the Cleveland Monsters 6-2 in an AHL game Saturday at Van Andel Arena. Joel L’Esperance scored for the fourth successive game. Defenseman Albert Johansson also potted a goal, giving him seven points over past 10 games.

Alex Nedeljkovic was making 32 saves for the victory.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

• Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy was stealing two points from the Red Wings
• Detroit was shut out for the third time this season in a 3-0 loss to the Lightning
• Red Wings forward Michael Rasmussen left Saturday’s game after blocking a shot with his kneecap
• Coach Derek Lalonde’s recipe for success has been simmering in Detroit for most of the season

Red Wings Next Game

Detroit is playing at Ottawa against the Senators on Monday. It’s a makeup game for a Dec. 23 contest that was called off due to a snowstorm.

Hockey Now Network

Pittsburgh: Following a 3-2 OT victory over the St. Louis Blues, the Pittsburgh Penguins were saying that this was how the need to be playing.

Islanders: Noah Dobson will need to step up his defensive game for the New York Islanders down the stretch.

Florida: No one is more frustrated by the inconsistency of the Florida Panthers than the Panthers themselves.

Washington: A 6-3 rout of the New York Rangers saw the Washington Capitals ending their six-game losing skid.

Montreal: The Montreal Canadiens were also improving their NHL Draft Lottery odds thanks to a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

🚨 LINUS ULLMARK 🚨

WE HAVE A GOALIE GOAL. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ym7OLU0jlU

— NHL (@NHL) February 26, 2023

Boston: He shoots! He scores! Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark scored a goal Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Philadelphia: On the one hand, the Philadelphia Flyers were losing 7-0 to the New Jersey Devils. On the other hand, Philly was gaining ground in the NHL Draft Lottery race.

[bet-promo id=”4002″ ]

Vegas: In his third game of the NHL season, Vegas Golden Knights netminder Laurent Brossoit made 41 saves in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.

San Jose: In what was being billed as the Bedard Bowl, the San Jose Sharks were losing to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Calgary: A rumored Brock Boeser trade from the Vancouver Canucks to the Calgary Flames just doesn’t make any sense.

Los Angeles: Have the Los Angeles Kings found themselves a new second line?

Colorado: Center Nazem Kadri was given a standing ovation by Colorado Avalanche fans as he returned to Denver for the first time since signing with the Calgary Flames last summer.