Point, Lightning hand Red Wings another loss

TAMPA -- Brayden Point scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, and the Tampa Bay Lightning won their 16th straight game against the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 at Amalie Arena on Sunday.

After Adam Erne was called for interference, Point scored from a sharp angle below the left circle when his wrist shot went over the right shoulder of Red Wings goalie Jonathan Bernier at 5:33.
"I had room to walk and just threw a no-look shot and it found a hole," Point said. "You know guys, I think we've played for so long that we know where we are on the ice. I don't know exactly where it is, I just throw it and like I said, lucky it finds a hole."
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Said Bernier, "They had been hitting the middle on their power play the whole game, so I kind of have to face him, but I have to be ready for the back door. I tried to lean and try to cover as much as possible. He made a good shot."
Ondrej Palat also scored and Curtis McElhinney made 19 saves for the Lightning (20-13-4), who have won three straight and are 4-1-1 in their past six games.

Robby Fabbri scored for the Red Wings (9-28-3), who have lost 18 of their past 20 games (2-16-2). Bernier made 37 saves after missing the previous two games because of a lower-body injury.
"I wish I had the answer (for the losses), but at least we're competing out there and fighting for it," Red Wings center Frans Nielsen said. "We're giving ourselves a chance. We've got to keep this mentality and we'll be getting some wins, too."
Palat gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead at 4:10 of the second period on a redirection of Kevin Shattenkirk's shot.
"I won the face-off and [Shattenkirk] just shot it," Palat said. "I went to the net and was just able to get a stick on it and was able to deflect."
Fabbri tied it 1-1 at 17:54, redirecting Filip Hronek's shot that was going wide short side on McElhinney.
"I thought our guys came out and played hard. We battled, but we didn't have enough," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. "The ice got tilted the wrong way. We lost momentum on our power play in the first period after a real good start."
Luke Glendening had a chance to give Detroit the lead early in the third period on a shorthanded breakaway but was denied by McElhinney.
"I think the compete level was real good. The sacrifice level was real good," Blashill said. "We're getting a little bit better in some areas. What we can't do is let these losses wear us down. It's a mental test for sure, but we've got to find a way to not worry about the last game and just worry about the game ahead of us."

They said it

"You want to stay out of the box as much as you can (against Tampa Bay). You have two (penalties) in the third there and you don't want to have to kill them because eventually, that power play is going to find a way to score." -- Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill
"We've had to iron a few things out in the early segment of the year, but I think we are heading in the right direction right now. We're doing some good things, generating a lot of the play, and controlling a lot of the situations."-- Lightning goalie Curtis McElhinney

Need to know

Seven of Point's 15 goals this season have come on the power play. … Detroit hasn't defeated Tampa Bay since Nov. 3, 2015. … Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman had an assist on Point's goal and has eight points (two goals, six assists) in his past three games. … Lightning captain Steven Stamkos had an assist and has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past three games. … Fabbri's goal was his first in seven games. ... Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn had two blocks in 13:33 of ice time after missing the previous 13 games with a lower-body injury.

What's next

Red Wings:Host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-D, NBCSCA, NHL.TV)
Lightning:At the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, SUN, NHL.TV)