DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings will be rewarded for making the playoffs for a 24th consecutive season with the opportunity to face one of three teams in the first round: the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens or the New York Rangers.
Those are the top three teams in the Eastern Conference -- the conference's favorites for a run at the Stanley Cup.
Right now, the Red Wings are in position to face the Lightning but things could change by Saturday night. The Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators are still fighting over the final two East playoff spots. The Senators could jump past Detroit and the Lightning could grab Atlantic Division 1st place from the Canadiens (the Habs are playing the Maple Leafs though, so ... ).
Here's how the Lightning, Canadiens and Rangers match up against the Red Wings:
Tampa Bay Lightning:
Season series with Detroit: Lightning (3-1-0)
The Red Wings did not fair well against Steven Stamkos and his Lightning this season. They fell in a shootout, 4-3, in November, then lost 5-1 and 3-1 before finally besting the Lightning, 4-0, in March.
Leading scorer: Stamkos has scored 72 points (43 goals, 29 assists) in 81 games this season. Thirteen of those goals were on the power play. He's a constant threat when he's on the ice because he can seemingly score from anywhere. He proved that a couple times against the Wings earlier this season.
Top defenseman: Victor Hedman is expected to be back in action Saturday night. He had missed some games with an injury. He is key to this Lightning team.
At 6-6, 233 pounds Hedman is an imposing force. The 24-year-old Swede is a rock for GM Steve Yzerman to build this team around. He hits hard, he shoots hard (10 goals -- 3 PPG), and he rarely makes a mistake with the puck (28 assists, +11). You can forget about beating him 1-on-1 or to the outside in most cases. He'll clear the front of the net easily, then he'll make you look silly with a beautiful breakout pass, or maybe he'll just rush it himself.
Special teams: Surprisingly, the Lightning are just less than 20 percent on the power play. They have the weapons, but they haven't been able to convert. They are hovering around 9th in the league on the penalty kill (83.5 percent). If the Red Wings (24% on PP) are going to beat this team, special teams could be the deciding factor.
Goalie: Ben Bishop is the only goalie in the league tall enough to see over Hedman. It's no secret his 6-foot-7 stature is his biggest asset. He's nimble and quick, but he takes up enough of the net (all of it) to make up for any mistakes. Bishop will not have a problem seeing shots from the point. Your best bet is to keep the puck low. Making him move side to side is key. The Red Wings will want traffic in front and quick east-west passes.
Montreal Canadiens:
Season series with Detroit: Canadiens (4-0)
The Red Wings scored 6 goals in four games against the Habs this season. Three of those goals were scored Thursday night. The Wings lost two in overtime and were shutout another time, 2-0. That's what Carey Price can do to you.
Leading scorer: Max Pacioretty has 67 points (37 goals, 30 assists) in 80 games. He suffered an injury earlier this week, but should be ready to go for the playoffs. Michigan fans will remember his stint with the Wolverines, and he's gotten better each year since. The big, powerful forward has speed, great awareness and can play both ends of the ice as well as anyone. There's not an easy way to stop this guy. Just don't give him too many -- or any -- good looks. He'll make it count.
Top defenseman: It's P.K. Subban, without question.
Say what you want about his irresponsibility with the puck at times, but Subban is a game-changer. He had two assists against the Wings the other night, bringing his total for the season to 45 (!). His hard shot has earned him 8 power play goals this season. His skill is second to none. He's quicker than most and strong enough to win just about every battle in the corner. Look out.
Special teams: The Canadiens are in the bottom half of the league on the power play and near the middle on the penalty kill. They win games at even strength, which is not good for the Red Wings -- another reason the Wings' power play needs to be firing on all cylinders when the puck drops next week.
Goalie: Carey Price could put this team on his back and win the Stanley Cup for them himself. He's the best goalie in the league -- maybe the best in the world.
The ice-cold 27-year-old notched 43 wins and 9 shutouts this season. Nine shutouts. His save percentage is .934. Those numbers do most of the talking for him. You could do everything right against the Canadiens and still lose to Price. It's scary but it's true. He makes it look so darn easy, too. Good luck.
New York Rangers:
Season series with Detroit: Red Wings (2-1)
That's surprising, really. The Red Wings grabbed the season series from the President's Trophy winners. Jimmy Howard was stellar in both wins -- he was the difference. Go figure.
Leading scorer: Rick Nash scored 42 goals and 27 assists in 79 games this season. Nash -- now 30 years old -- is in his prime, and he and the Rangers are primed to return to the Stanley Cup final.
He scored just 10 points in 25 playoff games last season. The pressure is on him for a quality postseason performance.
Top defenseman: The pair of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi is arguably the best in the league right now. These guys make you work for every scoring chance, and they can make you pay at the other end of the ice, too. Overall, the Rangers defense is quite balanced -- like the rest of the team.
Special teams: The Rangers -- much like the Canadiens -- don't rely on power play goals to win. They hover around 16 percent with the man advantage. On the penalty kill, they're pretty solid -- 84.6 percent. This is another team that gets things done at even strength. Seems there is a trend among good teams in this league.
Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist missed nearly two months due to an injury. Cam Talbot stepped in and shined during the sharp-dressed Swede's absence. New York can enter the playoffs confident they have two goalies ready to perform at their highest level. That's more than Detroit can say.
Playoffs schedule:
Game 1 of the 1st round likely will be Tuesday April 14 or Wednesday April 15. The Red Wings won't have home ice advantage to start, meaning both games 1 and 2 will be played on the road.
Saturday night's game in Carolina starts at 7 p.m.