What home ice advantage? The Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning have alternated wins and losses no matter where the game, which has led all the way to this do-or-die Game 7. Detroit has its savvy veteran duo of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg powering its frontline. Tampa Bay has a ferocious youngster in Tyler Johnson who won’t go away without a fight. Who takes this pressure cooker of a contest?
The rest of the NHL teams lie in wait for the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll miss out on any postseason action in the meantime. The first round of the NBA Playoffs is still heating up. Check out our complete previews for Game 5 of the Nets vs. Hawks and Game 6 of the Bulls vs. Bucks.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 7 Preview
Series Scores and Schedule
Game 1 — April 16 — Detroit Red Wings 3 at Tampa Bay Lightning 2
Game 2 — April 18 — Detroit Red Wings 1 at Tampa Bay Lightning 5
Game 3 — April 21 — Tampa Bay Lightning 0 at Detroit Red Wings 3
Game 4 — April 23 — Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (OT) at Detroit Red Wings 2
Game 5 — April 25 — Detroit Red Wings 4 at Tampa Bay Lightning 0
Game 6 — April 27 — Tampa Bay Lightning 5 at Detroit Red Wings 2
Game 7 — April 29, 7:30 PM ET, Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning – view all NHL lines
Betting on the Detroit Red Wings
Tomas Tatar netted two goals to bring Detroit to within one goal, but Petr Mrazek and the Red Wings defense broke down late to give Tampa Bay a 5-2 win to force Game 7.
[sc:NHL240 ]That performance aside, Mrazek has been excellent between the pipes. Despite allowing four goals on 26 shots in Game 6, the young goalie still has a respectable .917 save percentage in the series. He’s shutout the Lightning two times, once at Tampa Bay in Game 5. There’s also his amazing stick save to rob Tampa Bay’s Brian Boyle of a certain goal in Game 6.
But the Red Wings’ attack needs to be able to rediscover the form that scored four goals in Game 5 and three in Game 3. Tatar gives the Red Wings a pair of young legs to complement Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg’s experience. Datsyuk assisted in Tatar’s second goal in Game 6, while Zettergerg has been more of a playmaker in the series with three assists.
Detroit needs a much better effort on defense to take this game and the series. The Red Wings finished with just eight blocked shots in their Game 6 loss. They had 10 and 14 respectively in Games 4 and 5. Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall led Detroit with three blocked shots each over those games. If the Red Wings can give Mrazek some support, then they stand a chance at completing the series upset.
Mrazek has won three of his last four starts away from home.
Betting on the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay just bolted out of Joe Louis Arena with a 5-2 win thanks in large part to Tyler Johnson. The talented youngster netted two goals to bring his tally to a postseason-high six goals. Johnson has now scored two goals in each of the Lightning’s victories in the series.
Having Johnson threatening to score more goals should draw in Detroit’s defense towards him. That should open up Johnson’s line-mates Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov. Palat has already scored in this series in the Lightning’s Game 4 win, while Kucherov has acted more as a playmaker with a team-high four assists in the playoffs.
But Tampa Bay may be in trouble if the Red Wings shut out the Triplets (Johnson, Palat and Kucherov) once again. The three have been held point-less in the Lightning’s three losses in the series.
What’s even more concerning is the inability of Steven Stamkos to get on the board. Stamkos finished the regular season with the second-most goals (43) in the league. He has 19 shots through the first six games of this series but is yet to find the back of the net.
If the Lightning’s offense once again sputters, then Ben Bishop will need to play one hell of a game between the pipes. But Bishop has had an underwhelming playoff debut this season. He has a .904 save percentage and a 2.18 GAA in the current series against Detroit.
The Lightning has won seven of their 10 games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Red Wings’ veterans have already experienced plenty of Game 7s in their respective careers. Detroit grinds out a tough and physical 3-2 win to take the series. There’s plenty more playoff hockey to be played. Create a betting account now and get set for the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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