DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings finished the season with a 2-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday to set up a first-round battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Detroit finished the season with 100 points and clinched third place in the Atlantic Division on the final day of the season. Tampa Bay finished in second place with 108 total points.
The Lightning won three of four meetings with the Red Wings this season.
1st round schedule:
Game 1: Thursday at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m. (CNBC)
Game 2: Saturday at Tampa Bay, 3 p.m. (NBC)
Game 3: Tuesday at Detroit, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
Game 4: Thursday April 23 at Detroit, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
Game 5: Saturday April 25 at Tampa Bay, time and TV TBD
Game 6: Monday April 27 at Detroit, time and TV TBD
Game 7: Wednesday April 29 at Tampa Bay, time and TV TBD
ClickOnDetroit's Dave Bartkowiak previewed the matchup with Tampa Bay on Saturday:
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 scored 72 points (43 goals, 29 assists) 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 was 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, +12). 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 (83.7 percent). If the Red Wings (23.8% 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.
Vote: Who should start the postseason in goal for the Red Wings?