Lightning's 10-game winning streak ends with loss to Devils

NEWARK, N.J. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning's 10-game winning streak ended when Louis Domingue made 26 saves in the New Jersey Devils' 3-1 victory at Prudential Center on Sunday.

The Lightning had matched their record set from Feb. 9-27, 2019, and the New York Islanders (Oct. 12-Nov. 5) for the longest winning streak this season. Tyler Johnson scored, and Curtis McElhinney made 17 saves for Tampa Bay (27-14-4), which lost for the first time since Dec. 21.
"There's a lot of pride in the fact that we went on that run," captain Steven Stamkos said. "We talked about going on a run before that, that we needed an extended point streak, and to get 10 wins in a row is pretty great. We put ourselves back in a position we knew we could be at this time of the year.
"You can't just be satisfied with a run like that when it ends, and we'll look to get back home and collect some more points."
WATCH: [All Lightning vs. Devils highlights]
The Devils, who fired general manager Ray Shero and replaced him with interim GM Tom Fitzgerald before the game, have won two in a row.
Andy Greene had a goal and an assist for New Jersey (17-21-7), which is 6-2-2 in its past 10 games.
"I think when we manage the puck well, we force teams and put teams in tough positions with our speed," Greene said. "We're not a grind-it team. When we use our speed and use it effectively, make the opposition turn, that's when other stuff starts to open up."

Domingue, acquired by the Devils in a trade with the Lightning on Nov. 1, made 33 saves in a 5-1 win at the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
"You get in a groove there and they are two similar teams," Domingue said. "We played the exact same game, nothing fancy. Pucks were in, pucks were out, blocking shots, attention to detail. There is only one recipe to win in this league."
Johnson's 150th NHL goal gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead 37 seconds into the second period, but Greene's first goal of the season tied it at 3:10 on a slap shot from the left point to make it 1-1.

Travis Zajac gave the Devils a 2-1 lead when he redirected Nikita Gusev's shot from the point at 9:54 of the second.
"Utilizing our speed is what has led to some success the last couple of games, offensively and especially defensively, making it tough for teams," Zajac said.
Gusev had a goal disallowed at 11:39 of the third period when Lightning coach Jon Cooper won a challenge for goalie interference by Devils forward Blake Coleman.
Miles Wood scored an empty-net goal with one second remaining in the third for the 3-1 final.

They said it

"It's obviously frustrating. From my point, when you get your opportunities, you want to be on the right side of them. I have to give credit to New Jersey; they blocked a ton of shots. We were certainly firing pucks, but they did a great job in front of the net." -- Lightning goalie Curtis McElhinney
"A great leader isn't with us anymore and he's the reason we're all in this room, and we owe him a ton of credit for the job he did and obviously the future is extremely bright here thanks to Ray Shero. It's unfortunate, but that's the business we're in and we're going to lose friends, mentors and leaders like that. We have to move past it, learn from it and make sure that we're better for the next guy." -- Devils forward Blake Coleman

Need to know

Lightning forward Ondrej Palat played 15:31 after missing one game with a lower-body injury. ... Devils goalie Cory Schneider served as backup after being recalled from Binghamton of the American Hockey League. ... Devils center Jack Hughes had one assist in 13:26 of ice time after missing five games with an upper-body injury. ... New Jersey forward Kyle Palmieri did not play after he sustained a lower-body injury against the Capitals. ... Zajac scored his 192nd NHL goal; he needs three to pass Zach Parise (194) for fourth on the Devils all-time list. … New Jersey blocked 14 shots, including four each by Greene and forward Kevin Rooney.

What's next

Lightning: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SUN, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Devils: At the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNO, MSG+, NHL.TV)