New coach, same old Red Wings

It doesn't matter who's behind the bench in Detroit.

The Red Wings remained perfect on the season Tuesday, beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 in a battle of undefeated teams.

Detroit, now coached by Jeff Blashill after Mike Babcock left to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs, is 3-0 on the season. The game marked the first meeting between Detroit and Tampa Bay since the Lightning's seven-game series win over the Red Wings in the first round of last year's playoffs.

The Lightning are 3-1 after the loss.

Perhaps most important through three games for the Red Wings has been the play of goaltender Jimmy Howard, who won his second start Tuesday. He stopped 20-of-21 shots, with the puck that got past him being the first one this season. He stopped all 22 shots he faced against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 9.

The Red Wings have been to the playoffs in 24 consecutive seasons, making the Stanley Cup Final six times and winning four.