The Tampa Bay Lightning became the first team to advance to the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs on Thursday, eliminating the Detroit Red Wings with a 2-0 win in Game 5.
Red Wings vs. Lightning 2016 final score: Alex Killorn’s late goal sends Tampa Bay to the second round
Detroit was eliminated, and Pavel Datsyuk’s career might be at an end.
Mike Carlson/Getty Images
Alex Killorn's goal with 1:43 left in regulation was the series-winner. The Red Wings' elimination could mean Game 5 was the final NHL game for Pavel Datsyuk.
The Lightning leaned on goaltending and special teams to win. Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop played his best game of the series, turning aside all 33 shots he faced. And Detroit's special teams proved to be their undoing; the Red Wings went 0-for-4 on the man advantage in Game 3 and finished with a league-worst 4.8 percent scoring clip on the power play in the playoffs.
If you’re looking for a visual summation of Detroit’s power play, look no further:
Whoops... #RedWings #TBLightning pic.twitter.com/h8lNHqimtn
— Stefan Kubus (@StefanKubus) April 22, 2016
Two Lightning penalties gave the Red Wings a coveted 5-on-3 chance in the first period, but they only registered a couple of shots that Bishop easily stopped. Rookie Dylan Larkin was the most active forward for Detroit in the first, registering three shots on net.
Petr Mrazek was solid in Detroit's net at the other end, helping shut down four Lightning power plays in the first two frames. Mrazek finished with 23 saves.
The Lightning suffered an injury scare in the second period when center Tyler Johnson missed more than ten minutes, but he returned for the third period.
The game seemed headed to overtime until Ryan Callahan banked a pass backwards to Killorn for the game-winner with 1:43 left on the clock.
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