Tampa Bay Lighting vs. Detroit Red Wings Odds: NHL Playoffs 2016
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Mike Schultz
The 2015 playoffs were heartbreaking for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who came up two wins short of a Stanley Cup win. This year, they have more problems to deal with as they enter the playoffs with an injured roster. The Detroit Red Wings managed to squeeze into the playoffs for the 25th year in a row. This matchup promises to be a battle of the D-lines, as both of these teams are stronger defensively than they are big scorers. Bet on the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1: Tampa Bay Lighting vs. Detroit Red Wings
Series Winner Odds: Red Wings, +110, Lighting -164
Game Dates: 4/13 @ TBL, 4/15 @ TBL, 4/17 @ DET, 4/19 @ DET, *4/21, TBD, *4/24, TBD, *4/26, TBD
Home Team Advantage: Tampa Bay Lighting
Tampa Bay Lighting
Tampa Bay’s biggest issue is the glaringly huge hole in their roster in the shape of Steven Stamkos. That said, Tampa Bay has deep roster and a strong defensive line, even thought they’re also missing Anton Stralman to injury. The most obvious advantage they have is that the Red Wings haven’t been on much of a scoring tear lately, and injuries to the Red Wings line-up makes this match up pretty even in terms of offensive strength. The Lighting have the worst success rate during the playoffs for power plays, so don’t look for them to win by scoring on the man advantage.
Detroit Red Wings
In this exact match up last year, Detroit had their hearts broken in game seven of the series, and the Lighting went on to the Stanley Cup finals. A thirst for revenge and the fact that this might be Pavel Datsyuk’s last hurrah might be just the motivation this team needs to beat the Lighting. The Red Wings just barely squeaked into a spot this year, and they could be considered a team in transition with a lot of young players on the roster. It will be up to veterans Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg to lead this team past the first round. Although the Red Wings are one of the best possession teams in the league, the tight direction of Mike Babcock is obviously missing, and that may hurt the Red Wings as they attempt a playoff run.
Prediction: Lighting in 7