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Lightning host Red Wings on Wednesday
By: Staff Writer - StatFox
Published: 2/3/2016  at  8:22:00 AM
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Detroit Red Wings (25-16-8) at Tampa Bay Lightning (27-18-4)

NHL Wednesday Night Rivalry Game
Face-off: Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Detroit +130, Tampa Bay -144

The Detroit Red Wings nearly derailed the Tampa Bay Lightning’s run to last season’s Stanley Cup final in the first round—the Original 6 franchise led the best-of-seven series three games to two before capitulating. This year, the teams are tied for second place in the Atlantic Division. There’s also the fact that the Lightning’s owner, Steve Yzerman, is one of the greatest Red Wings in history. You might want to watch this one.

Both teams enter this contest playing well, and something will have to give: Detroit is 7-1 straight up in its last eight road games; Tampa Bay is 5-0 straight up in its last five home games (the Lightning are also 8-1 straight up in its last nine games overall). Considering the potential for lamp-lighting, in four of the previous five Red Wings vs. Lightning games, the goal total has gone Under.

All of these trends can be attributed to the deep, well-balanced rosters both teams possess. Detroit has always had that trademark; this year the team’s younger core has made sizable contributions. The Red Wings are led by Dylan Larkin (15 G, 18 A, 33 PTS), the 19-year-old center who could challenge for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie. He leads the team in both points and plus/minus with a staggering +24. But in the month of January—in which the Red Wings went 7-3-1—the team also saw gains from veteran Pavel Datsyuk (6 G, 18 A, 24 PTS), who has played just 34 games due to injury. The Russian has scored one goal and nine assists in his last 11 games.

The Lightning’s striking return to form—they were out of playoff positioning for much of the season’s start—can largely be attributed to health. With Tyler Johnson (5 G, 11 A, 16 PTS) and Ondej Palat (4 G, 9 A, 13 PTS) now at peak condition, the entire lineup will benefit. Their former “triplet” linemate, Nikita Kucherov (20 G, 21 A, 41 PTS) scored seven goals and 12 points in January. And despite persistent trade rumors, Steven Stamkos (21 G, 17 A, 38 PTS) is still producing at a healthy clip (five goals, 10 points in January).


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