Red Wings meet Lightning in first-round series rematch

Dave Bartkowiak Jr., Digital Managing Editor

Published: April 11, 2016 at 10:43 AM

DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings are making a 25th consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs where they will meet the Tampa Bay Lightning in a rematch of the 2015 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

The Lightning were victorious last spring in a seven-game series with the Red Wings, then went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals where they were defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Summary of last year's playoff series:

Game 1: Red Wings 3, Lightning 2 in Tampa
Game 2: Lightning 5, Red Wings 1 in Tampa
Game 3: Red Wings 3, Lightning 0 in Detroit
Game 4: Lightning 3, Red Wings 2 (overtime) in Detroit
Game 5: Red Wings 4, Lightning 0 in Tampa
Game 6: Lightning 5, Red Wings 2 in Detroit
Game 7: Lightning 2, Red Wings 0 in Tampa

As you can see, the Red Wings were leading the series 3-2 after Game 5 and couldn't close it out at home in Game 6. The Lightning shut out the Red Wings, 2-0, to take the series in Game 7.

The Lightning outscored the Red Wings 17-15 over the course of 7 games. However, the Red Wings shut out the Lightning twice, including Game 5 in Tampa.

_{Justin Abdelkader reacts as fans of the Lightning celebrate an empty-net goal in Game 7 at Amalie Arena on April 29, 2015 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)}

Summary of this season's series:

Oct. 13 in Detroit: Red Wings 3, Lightning 3
Nov. 3 in Detroit: Red Wings 2, Lightning 1
Feb. 3 in Tampa: Lightning 3, Red Wings 1
March 22 in Tampa: Lightning 6, Red Wings 2

Neither team could muster a win on the road against each other this season. The Red Wings took the first two games, which were in Detroit, and the Lightning grabbed the most recent games, which were in Tampa.

Overall, the Lightning outscored the Red Wings 13-7 over the course of 4 games this season.

This year's playoff series preview:

This series is scheduled to start 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 in Tampa.

View: NHL playoffs first round schedule

Potential lineups:

These are two teams which, on paper, appear to be deep with skill distributed down four lines and three solid defensive pairings. Here are the potential lineups for both in Game 1:

Red Wings:

Substantial changes for Red Wings this year in playoffs:

Coach: Jeff Blashill replaces Mike Babcock
Howard will start the playoffs instead of Mrazek
Rookies Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou draw in
Alexey Marchenko isn't a playoff rookie
Mike Green replaces Marek Zidlicky/Jakub Kindl
Brad Richards provides veteran depth which Erik Cole couldn't last year due to injury
Penalty killer extraordinaire Drew Miller is hurt

_{Jeff Blashill argues a 'too many men on the ice' penalty during the 2nd period during the Stadium Series game on Feb. 27, 2016 in Denver. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)}

Lightning:

Jason Garrison | Andrej Sustr
Nikita Nesterov | Matt Carle
Matt Taormina/Slater Koekkoek | Braydon Coburn

Ben Bishop
Andrei Vasileskiy

Substantial changes for Lightning this year in playoffs:

Captain Steven Stamkos is hurt and probably won't return for playoffs
Jon Cooper will go head-to-head with friend Blashill
Defenseman Anton Stralman is out indefinitely after fracturing his leg
Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov and Ryan Callahan all missed the Lightning's final regular season game and appear day-to-day with injuries. But don't be surprised to see them in Game 1, which changes the listed lineup dramatically.
Jonathan Drouin is in the lineup, for real
Trenton, Mich. native Erik Condra was picked up in the offseason and adds depth to offense

_{Steven Stamkos skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on Feb. 26, 2016 in Newark. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)}

Howard vs. Bishop

Remember, Petr Mrazek was the Red Wings' starter last spring in the playoffs. A year later, Jimmy Howard has taken over and will be in the net when this series gets underway in Tampa.

Bishop let in some shaky goals last spring against the Red Wings, but this season he's being considered for the Vezina Trophy.

Here's how Howard and Bishop matchup this season, plus their career playoff numbers: