Tampa Bay Lightning (18-4-2, first in the Central Division) vs. Detroit Red Wings (7-16-4, eighth in the Central Division)
Detroit; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Detroit looks to stop its four-game skid with a win against Tampa Bay.
The Red Wings are 7-16-4 against Central Division opponents. Detroit is last in the league averaging only 3.6 assists per game. Filip Hronek leads the team with 12 total assists.
The Lightning are 18-4-2 against the rest of their division. Tampa Bay leads the NHL shooting 12.0% and averaging 3.6 goals on 30.2 shots per game.
The teams square off for the second straight game.
TOP PERFORMERS: Hronek leads the Red Wings with 12 assists and has 12 points this season. Sam Gagner has four goals and two assists over the last 10 games for Detroit.
Victor Hedman leads the Lightning with 25 points, scoring five goals and adding 20 assists. Ondrej Palat has four goals over the last 10 games for Tampa Bay.
LAST 10 GAMES: Red Wings: 3-6-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.9 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game with an .897 save percentage.
Lightning: 8-1-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.2 assists, four penalties and 9.1 penalty minutes while giving up 1.7 goals per game with a .939 save percentage.
INJURIES: Red Wings: Troy Stecher: day to day (lower body).
Lightning: Jan Rutta: day to day (lower body), Mitchell Stephens: out (knee).
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