The Detroit Red Wings hadn’t won in a long time. The Tampa Bay Lightning hadn’t lost at home all season long. And Red Wings goalie Daniil Tarasov hadn’t beaten the Lightning in his NHL career.

Together, the math suggested more heartbreak was heading Detroit’s way, but this is exactly why in the betting world, they say there’s no such thing as a sure thing.

Tarasov blocked all 31 shots he faced, and the Red Wings blanked the Lightning 2-0 on Saturday, ending Detroit’s five-game losing skid. He’d been 0-4 against the Lightning coming into the game.

The slide was halted exactly where it started. A 4-2 loss at Tampa Bay on November 3 launched Detroit’s losing streak. Before Saturday’s setback, Tampa Bay was 8-0 on home ice this season.

Following a scoreless first period, Lucas Raymond opened the scoring for the Red Wings late in the second period. He scored his eighth goal of the season and eighth in the past 13 games, beating Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy on a breakaway.

Defenseman William Wallinder drew the only assist on the goal, his second point in as many games. It was just the seventh time in 21 games this season that Detroit has opened the scoring.

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, with his first goal in six games and second tally in 15 games, hit the empty Tampa Bay net to complete the scoring.

Takeaways

Forward Mason Appleton and defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker were healthy scratches for Detroit. . . The Red Wings ended a 0-2-1 slump in their previous three visits to Tampa Bay.

Andrew Copp showed a solid 57.9% win rate at the faceoff dot (111-of-19). . . Brandsegg-Nygard led the Wings in shots (four) and hits (three). . . Defenseman Andreas Englund blocked a team-high three shots.

Key Stat

Brandsegg-Nygard, Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Copp were all plus-two for the game.

Key Moment

Wallinder left the game 3:57 into the third period following a knee-on-knee collision and did not return. There was no word post-game on his condition.

Up Next

The Red Wings return home to face the Boston Bruins at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena. The game falls on the 100th anniversary of the franchise’s first game. On November 18, 1826, the then Detroit Cougars lost 2-0 to the Bruins in their first NHL regular-season game, which was played at Border Cities Arena in Windsor, Ontario.