The Detroit Red Wings will battle the Tampa Bay Lightning this evening (7 PM EST start on FanDuel SportsNet Detroit/FanDuel SportsNet Sun/97.1 FM), and tonight’s game is going to be a particularly difficult one.
The Wings lost 5-1 to Tampa Bay last Saturday, but Tampa sits at 26-18-3 after winning a 4-3 overtime decision over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night. The Lightning were on a 4-1-and-1 streak heading into last Saturday’s win, but Tampa lost two straight games after defeating Detroit, so the Bolts are looking to get back on a winning trend tonight.
TampaBayLightning.com’s Benjamin Pierce offered the following “Nuts and Bolts” regarding tonight’s match-up:
The Tampa Bay Lightning will go for their second win this season over their Atlantic Division rival Detroit Red Wings on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena…
Tampa Bay has a 39-36-5 record all-time against Detroit, a record which includes a 5-1 win over the Red Wings last Saturday…
Jake Guentzel and Nikita Kucherov each posted 1-2—3 in that win…
Detroit won all three of the 2023-24 matchups in regulation…
Victor Hedman (2-2—4) and Kucherov (0-4—4) co-led the team in last season’s three-game series against Detroit, and Brandon Hagel (1-2—3) also had a point per game…
Kucherov is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer against Detroit with 21-28—49 in 37 games, and Hedman is third with 5-36—41 in 45 games…
Brayden Point is fourth with 19-15—34 in 35 career games against Detroit…
Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is 15-4-0 in his career against the Red Wings with a .931 SV% and one shutout…V
asilevskiy won the Jan. 18 game, stopping 38 of 39 shots for a .974 SV%…
Goalie Jonas Johansson is 0-1-0 with an .878 SV% as a Bolt against the Red Wings.
The Associated Press also posted a “Nuts and Bolts”-style preview:
BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Red Wings host the Tampa Bay Lightning after the Lightning beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime.
Detroit is 22-21-5 overall with a 6-8-1 record in Atlantic Division play. The Red Wings have gone 18-6-2 in games they score three or more goals.
Tampa Bay has gone 26-18-3 overall with a 3-8-0 record against the Atlantic Division. The Lightning have a +37 scoring differential, with 170 total goals scored and 133 given up.
Saturday’s game is the second time these teams meet this season. The Lightning won 5-1 in the previous meeting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Dylan Larkin has 21 goals and 24 assists for the Red Wings. Alex DeBrincat has four goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
Brandon Hagel has 20 goals and 31 assists for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov has six goals and 12 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 6-3-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.9 assists, 2.1 penalties and 4.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
Lightning: 6-3-1, averaging 3.3 goals, six assists, 3.5 penalties and nine penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
