Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Preview, Scores and Prediction

With Steven Stamkos sniping away, the Tampa Bay Lightning own the NHL’s most potent offence. Tampa Bay is a big -250 favorite to send the Detroit Red Wings to the golf course.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Tampa Bay was one of the teams nobody wanted to play in the East. The Lightning have speed to burn and a quick-strike attack that can light up the scoreboard in a hurry. Steven Stamkos finished the regular season with 43 goals and ended up tied with Tyler Johnson for the team lead with 72 points. Actually, Tampa Bay had five players finish with better than 50 points, so scoring depth isn’t an issue. If Ben Bishop holds up his end of the bargain, the Lightning’s speed should give Detroit some major problems as the series wears on.

Sports Interaction’s NHL Stanley Cup Odds

Detroit Red Wings:

There’s something to be said for consistency as the Red Wings qualified for the playoffs for the 24^th consecutive season, but Detroit is a fat underdog in this series. The Red Wings have had questions in goal all year before naming 23-year-old Petr Mrazek the team’s starter for Game 1. Can he handle the pressure? It’s a gutsy call. Detroit’s offence leans heavily on its No. 2-ranked power play but where the team excels in experience with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, it lacks in speed and depth. The Red Wings’ younger players aren’t ready to take over yet and their veterans may not be able to keep up in this series.

Prediction:

Tampa Bay plays this series smart and stays out of the penalty box while Bishop does enough to shut the Wings down when he’s needed. Detroit’s still a cagey team to face in the first round with Mike Babcock behind the bench and probably isn’t getting enough respect with these series odds, but Tampa Bay looks flat-out scary.

Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.