DETROIT — In a strong display of defensive skill, Cam Talbot recorded his second shutout of the season, stopping 28 shots and leading the Detroit Red Wings to a 2-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

Marco Kasper contributed to Detroit’s offense by redirecting a shot from J.T. Compher at 9:55 in the second period, giving the Red Wings the lead. Michael Rasmussen later secured the win for Detroit with an empty-net goal in the final minute of the game.

For the Lightning, Andrei Vasilevskiy kept busy with 29 saves but couldn’t prevent his team from being shut out for the first time this season. The Lightning have struggled recently, dropping three of their last four games. Before this defeat, they had convincingly beaten the Red Wings 5-1 on January 18.

One notable absence for the Red Wings was forward Patrick Kane, who missed his second straight game due to an upper body injury.

Takeaways from the game included a significant end to a hot streak for Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, whose point streak came to an end at 11 games. During that impressive run, he had accumulated six goals and 13 assists.

On the other hand, Red Wings rookie Marco Kasper, who was the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, has been thriving since being promoted to the first line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond shortly after Todd McLellan took over as head coach last month. He has netted five goals over the last nine games.

A key moment came when Red Wings defenseman Albert Johansson showcased his defensive prowess by blocking four shots in the last 1:35 of the game after Vasilevskiy was pulled for an extra skater, effectively sealing the win for Detroit.

In a key statistic, the Lightning were shut out for the first time since November 14, 2023, when they fell 5-0 to the St. Louis Blues.

Looking ahead, the Lightning will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday to kick off a five-game homestand, while the Red Wings are set to face the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.