Flurry of goals allowed by Lightning concerns Cooper

DETROIT — Lightning coach Jon Cooper said one concern he has is a trend of allowing goals in spurts.

Tuesday against Florida, the Lightning gave up two goals in 18 seconds but pulled out a 4-3 come-from-behind win. Against Nashville on Thursday, the Predators scored twice in 40 seconds in a 3-2 Tampa Bay loss.

Then, in the Lightning's 4-0 loss to the Red Wings on Saturday, Detroit racked up three goals in four minutes in the second period to blow open a scoreless game.

Tampa Bay's response after goals hasn't been good enough.

"We're playing a long part of the game and we don't give anything up," Cooper said. "Don't think we gave up a whole lot of chances. But in a four-minute span, there went the game.

"How do you respond after goals? We thought we fixed that a little bit. But we're going through a bad little stretch of not responding after goals. It nearly cost us the Florida game, and it cost us against Nashville and (Saturday)."

WACKY GOALS: G Ben Bishop has lost back-to-back starts for the first time since Feb. 3 and 7. After getting pulled after allowing three goals on 11 shots Thursday, Bishop gave up three on 22 Saturday. It was just Bishop's second defeat in 10 career games against the Red Wings (7-2-0).

"They got a couple bounces in the second," Bishop said.

Like Thursday, Cooper said, there were a couple of "weird" goals, including Joakim Andersson tipping a puck midair through the legs of Bishop.

"The last couple games, we're inventing new ways of watching pucks go in," Cooper said. "It's a little frustrating. That hasn't happened to us in a long time. Maybe what comes around, goes around."

VLADDY STAYING: Cooper confirmed that C Vladislav Namestnikov will stay with Tampa Bay the rest of the season, not returned to AHL Syracuse. Namestnikov, brought up in early March on an emergency recall, likely will be moved to a regular recall, giving Tampa Bay just one left before the end of the regular season April 11.

Namestnikov, 22, earned it with his play and will end the season where he started, in the NHL.

"He's part of our team," Cooper said. "He made our team out of camp. We want him to play. So if ultimately we do use a recall, it's because he's going to play. Whether the decision is made (today), Monday or Tuesday, it's going to be made eventually. We just don't know when."

Depending on the severity of C Cedric Paquette's lower-body injury suffered Saturday, Namestnikov's presence could be needed anyway. GM Steve Yzerman said they would have a better idea today if an additional callup is needed for Paquette or D Jason Garrison, who left the game early with an upper-body injury.

ICE CHIPS: LW Brenden Morrow, who missed Thursday's game with an upper-body injury, returned to the lineup. RW J.T. Brown was scratched. … D Nikita Nesterov played in his first game since March 12. D Mark Barberio was scratched.