Tampa Bay Lightning (53-13-4, first in the Atlantic Division) vs. Detroit Red Wings (24-36-10, seventh in the Atlantic Division)
Detroit; Thursday, 7:30 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay into a matchup with Detroit. He leads the league with 111 points, scoring 33 goals and totaling 78 assists.
The Red Wings are 13-17-5 at home. Detroit is last in the Eastern Conference averaging just 7.2 points per game. Dylan Larkin leads the team with 62 total points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Larkin has recorded 62 total points while scoring 27 goals and collecting 35 assists for the Red Wings. Anthony Mantha has collected six assists and totaled 9 points over the last 10 games for Detroit.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 8-2-0, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.9 assists, 4.6 penalties and 10.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .931 save percentage.
Red Wings: 1-7-2, averaging two goals, 3.8 assists, 2.8 penalties and 6.4 penalty minutes while giving up four goals per game with a .885 save percentage.
Red Wings Injuries: Dylan Larkin: day to day (lower body), Mike Green: out for season (illness), Jonathan Ericsson: day to day (lower body).
Lightning Injuries: Anton Stralman: day to day (lower body), Dan Girardi: day to day (lower body).
