It’s going to be a long two months for the Tampa Bay Lightning down the stretch. Six back-to-back games highlight a slog to the end that will test the depth of the team. They survived the first test Friday night as they fought off a willing challenger in the Detroit Red Wings, 3-1. Brian Elliott made a rare start and stopped 22 of 23 shots. Mikhail Sergachev scored the game-winner in the third period while Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos also added power play goals.
Alongside Elliott’s start in net, Coach Cooper made two other changes.