Red Wings vs Lightning Series Preview

The 20-21 season brought a lot of highs and lows for the Red Wings' faithful. The team started out hot, faded in the middle of the season, and went into the deadline fighting for their playoff lives with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, and Washington Capitals. After yet another active (and controversial) trade deadline season, the fans in Hockeytown were hoping the roster tweaks made by GM Evans would pay off with a return to the playoffs. The Red Wings made a bold move shipping out captain Brent Burns and starting goalie Robin Lehner, and only brought in Mirco Mueller to bail out their struggling defense core. Their hopes were rewarded Thursday when the Wings clinched a playoff spot with a commanding win over the Ottawa Senators in their final game of the season, dashing the hopes of Leaf Nation.

The deadline moves turned out to be quite impactful. Newcomers Brock Nelson, Casey Cizikas, and Mirco Mueller made their marks on the team and Carter Hart really stepped into the starter role when given the opportunity. The team defense and discipline both seemed improved, and the top half of the roster found better balance. The Red Wings finished with an impressive five players with 30+ goals, led by Connor McDavid's 38 goals and 99 points.

The Red Wings will face the Eastern Conference leading Tampa Bay Lightning in round 1 of the playoffs. There's a bit of a Frankenstein's monster situation going on here, as the Lightning feature a number of ex-Red Wings in Barzal, Rantanen, Edler, Pulock, and for some reason Luca Sbisa. Maybe GM Evans should lose Cam Grewal's number. With that being said, let's break down this matchup of two Beasts of the East.

Lightning Forwards:

The Lightning have an impressive top 6 forward group, but the real strength of this team is the top line of Kuznetsov, Rantanen, and Ovechkin. The skill, speed, and size of this group is truly elite, and this line is among the best two or three in the league.

The second line of Barzal, Bailey, and Silfverberg is a solid group and all three potted 20+ goals this season. The third line is led by Lars Eller, a top notch 3C who can swing a series by shutting down the opposition and providing secondary scoring. His wingers Calvert and Johnson struggled after Johnson’s trade deadline acquisition but have the potential to form a strong trio. The fourth line of Filppula, Girgensons, and Sceviour is the cherry on top of this sundae. This group of strong two-way players can chip in a few goals and fill in on the PK. Sceviour is a top-notch defensive player who has excelled with the Lightning after a mid-season trade from the Panthers, Girgensons finished the season at +24, and Filppula is coming off a 42 point season.

Lightning Defense:

Mirroring their forward group, the Lightning have capable players throughout their top 6 defensemen. Alex Edler and Ryan Pulock had fantastic seasons and were among the best defenders in the league this season. Edler stuffed the stat sheet this season with 33 points, a +34 rating, and 182 PIMs in only 65 games, so he is certain to impact this series in a big way. Pulock had a great season with the Lightning after a pre-season trade from the Red Wings that saw Hampus Lindholm headed the other way. The Hampus Lindholm/Ryan Pulock battle will be one to watch this series.

Matt Niskanen was acquired at the deadline from the Predators and had an impressive 11 points in 18 games with the Bolts to end the season. Manson, Schmidt, and Marc Staal round out the defense corps. All three bring strong defense and size to the table and would fit in a top 4 role on many teams in the league. Overall, the Bolts have group of large two-way defensemen that will be tough for any team to match up with.

Lightning Goalies:

Rask led the MRFHL with a beastly 48 wins this season and finished second among full-time starters with a 0.921 save percentage. He’s on the Vezina short list without a question and may be the favorite to win it. Last season in the playoffs Rask proved to be the Bolts’ Achilles Heel but that is not likely to be the case this year. Rask is the type of player who can steal a series. If that weren’t enough, Chris Driedger (who ignored a contract offer from the Wings to sign with the Lightning last season) has been fantastic this year with a 0.923 save percentage and a 5-2-1 record.

Lightning Keys to Victory:
-Continued dominant play from Rask
-Goals from Ovie and Silfverberg
-Strong two-way play from Lars Eller and the bottom 6 forwards

Red Wings Forwards:

As laid out above, the Lightning have one of the top forward groups in the league… but the Red Wings likely have the advantage here. The Red Wings have a strong top line led by Connor McDavid. The Wings have tried a plethora of different wingers alongside him but his most consistent and productive linemates have been Tomas Hertl and Elias Lindholm. Hertl has been a bit snakebit this year but seemed to round into form down the stretch when this line was reunited, and he plays a disciplined two-way game that compliments McDavid and Elias Lindholm’s scoring.

The Red Wings’ second line is led by two-way beast Sean Couturier, who posted 32 goals and 76 points this season. Couturier is the engine of this team. When he plays well the Wings can beat any team, as he proved with his team-high 10 GWG’s. Teuvo Teravainen found chemistry with Couturier down the stretch and led the team with a +16 rating while chipping in 30 goals, 71 points, and only 4 PIMs. Brock Nelson will join the Couturier and Teravainen duo, filling the “Tomas Hertl” role on the line.

The bottom 6 is led by centres Travis Zajac and Casey Cizikas who are both elite defensive forwards capable of filling in on the PK and shutting down the opposing team at even strength. They will be joined by wingers Kreider, Killorn, Svechnikov, and whoever earns the 12^th forward spot out of Lucic, Marleau, Pitlick, and Clifford. Mikko Koivu is waiting in the wings (*rimshot*) in case of an injury to any of the team’s Centres. The Red Wings have tons of options to go with, the key to their success will be finding the right line combinations and sticking with them. Rumour has it Milan Lucic is likely to play his first NHL game of the season in game 1, in hopes of adding some much-needed grit. If none of the 12^th forwards make an impact, the team may switch back to the 11-man unit they ended the season with, in order to play 7 defensemen.

Red Wings Defense:

The trade of Brent Burns led some to wonder what the heck the Red Wings were up to, but it has cleared the way for Hampus Lindholm, Ian Cole, and Miro Heiskanen to step up into larger roles. Lindholm and Cole are the team’s new top pair and have done a great job stifling the opposition. Chabot and Heiskanen form a strong second pairing capable of moving pucks to the forwards and driving offense.

Mirco Mueller has turned out to be the Wings’ biggest deadline pickup, and he’s formed a formidable shutdown pairing with Martin Marincin. This unit has played to well that it’s forced Neal Pionk into a smaller role, and it’s possible he finds himself a healthy scratch in game 1. This just gives the Red Wings’ coaching staff more options to choose from and plenty of depth in case of injuries.

Red Wings Goalies:

Youngster Carter Hart has only started 31 MRFHL games, 25 of which came this season. Despite this short track record, GM Evans and co have faith in him to get the job done. He’s put up a strong .911 save percent in both of his short MRFHL seasons and did not falter when handed the reigns after this season’s trade deadline. He’s ready to show that he can lead this team. If for whatever reason a backup is needed, the Red Wings have a strong one in Petr Mrazek. He hasn’t started many MRFHL games since way back in 2016-17, during his first stint with the franchise, but he’s itching to prove himself if given the opportunity.

Red Wings Keys to Victory:
-Figure out the Powerplay; 18% is not going to cut it in this series
-Secondary scoring from lines 2 and 3; players line Couturier and Kreider need to excel
-Continued strong play from Carter Hart; 0.911 would keep this series close

-Detroit Free Press, April 2021