TV: FOX Sports Florida
Time: Pregame coverage begins at 5 p.m.
There was a time when no NHL team wanted Tyler Johnson, many claiming he was too undersized to play center in the league.
Even the Tampa Bay Lightning passed on the 5-foot-9 Johnson in the 2011 draft before giving him a chance to prove himself in the minors.
Johnson's resume now includes a Calder Trophy nomination, an All-Star Game appearance and playoff hero, which was added after scoring his second goal in overtime of Game 4 to give the Lightning a 3-2 win that evened their first-round series with the Detroit Red Wings.
Tampa Bay looks to take control by winning Game 5 on Saturday night at home after erasing a 2-0 deficit late in the third period Thursday, when Johnson scored with 5:26 left and assisted on linemate Ondrej Palat's equalizer 77 seconds later. Palat then assisted on Johnson's goal 2:25 into OT.
"We just needed that first goal," said Johnson, whose 72 points in the regular season tied Steven Stamkos for the team lead. "We have the character on the team that we don't quit."
Johnson also scored twice in the Lightning's 5-1 victory in Game 2. In both of Tampa Bay's defeats and throughout most of Game 4, he had been shut down by Red Wings center Luke Glendening, who has been assigned to shadow Johnson.
Glendening, though, cut his hand during a scuffle that included Johnson with roughly 7 1/2 minutes left in regulation Thursday and didn't return. Johnson then took over.
Johnson said he hasn't paid much attention to who is checking him, but Detroit coach Mike Babcock noticed the difference when Glendening had to leave. He said Glendening received treatment and should be OK for Game 5.
"Obviously, getting his hand cut and missing the rest of the game matchup-wise, Johnson's line got the next three goals," Babcock said. "They hadn't got much done. I thought they stole the game."
Lightning coach Jon Cooper has taken notice, too.
"I coached against (Glendening) in the minors," Cooper said. "He's an extremely responsible guy. There aren't too many players like Luke Glendening. He had done a good job (against Johnson's line)."
Johnson's performance ignited a comeback that prevented the Red Wings from taking a commanding series lead. Tampa Bay went 3-21-2 in the regular season when trailing after two periods.
"On the bench, the guys were never really down, even though it was 2-0," Cooper said. "Clearly the game changed at that moment (Johnson scored his first goal). You could just tell our guys had a fire in them that was not going to be put out, and it was a hell of an effort."
Johnson's effort has been even more appreciated with Stamkos recording just two assists in the series after finishing second in the NHL with 43 goals. Stamkos has failed to score in his last seven postseason games.
Petr Mrazek has stopped all 15 of Stamkos' shots and has a .922 save percentage in the series, including a 22-save shutout in Game 3.
Ben Bishop has mostly played well for the Lightning, allowing five goals over the past three games, but his misplay of Joakim Andersson's long shot in the second period gave Detroit a two-goal lead and landed Bishop on unflattering highlight reels.
"Everybody went down to Bish and gave him a tap, and he's like, 'Don't worry, boys, just score for me and I'll keep them out,'" Cooper said. "And that's what happened."
A key for Bishop and the Tampa Bay defense is to shut down Pavel Datsyuk. The star center is the only Red Wings player with more than two points in the series but doesn't have any in their two losses while posting a minus-4 rating. Datsyuk scored in both of Detroit's wins.
