ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)  — A lot of winter. Very little classic hockey.

Light snow swirled down in the Big House, making it tough to push the puck through piles of the white stuff on a sheet of ice where football is usually played.

Teeth-chattering temperatures and a brisk wind were factors, too, that made the NHL’s Winter Classic much more of an event than a game.

Hockeytown USA met its match in Leaf Nation. The game was secondary in many ways to the spectacle itself, as it always is in the Winter Classic, Pierre LeBrun writes.

Tyler Bozak scored the winning shootout goal and Jonathan Bernier made two saves in the heart-pounding final moments, lifting Toronto to a 3-2 victory over Detroit on Wednesday in front of 105,491 fans -- the largest crowd to watch a hockey game.

“I was just lucky to get a stick on it and keep it low enough,” Bozak said.

The Red Wings were not as fortunate in the closely contested spectacle that was altered in a lot of ways because of the conditions.



LIGHTNING 4, CANUCKS 2

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Valtteri Filppula had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Wednesday night.

The Lightning, whose franchise is 21 years old, posted only its second win ever in Vancouver. Tampa Bay made history of another sort by posting a fourth straight road win for the first time since Jan. 8-Feb. 7, 2008.

Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn also scored for Tampa Bay.

Brad Richardson and Zac Dalpe replied for the Canucks, who lost their second straight.

Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop made 28 saves for his 21st win of the season as the Lightning outshot the Canucks 33-30. Vancouver’s Eddie Lack recorded 29 saves.