For the second time in three nights, NHL fans will be treated to one of the greatest things in sports: Game 7.
The Detroit Red Wings will visit the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Amalie Arena on Wednesday in a matchup that will determine who will advance to Round 2 for a date with the Montreal Canadiens, who ousted the Ottawa Senators in six games.
This series has had plenty of drama, but there is nothing more compelling than a do-or-die game between two division rivals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
As the Lightning prepare to host the Red Wings tonight, here are seven things to watch for.
1) Kronwalled: The Red Wings will be without stalwart defenseman Niklas Kronwall for Game 7 as the NHL Department of Player Safety announced a one-game suspension for the 11-year veteran for his hit on Nikita Kucherov in Game 6. Kucherov wasn't hurt on the play and Kronwall wasn't assessed a penalty, but the NHL came down on him in a phone hearing on Tuesday. Kronwall, who's known for delivering bone-crunching hits, has never been disciplined by the NHL before for any of his checks. Detroit relies heavily on Kronwall in big games and he led the team with a 23:35 average time on ice in this series. Kronwall has appeared in 104 postseason games for the Red Wings, but won't play in the biggest contest of the 2014-15 Stanley Cup playoffs for the team.
2) Stagnant Stamkos: Steve Stamkos finished second in the NHL with 43 goals this season, so it's very puzzling that the 25-year-old phenom has yet to light the lamp in this series. Through six games, Stamkos has no tallies and three assists as the Red Wings have been able to keep him out of the goal column. Stamkos, who has eight playoff markers in his career through three postseasons, is mired in a seven-game goal drought dating back to the regular season.
3) Rising Rookie: Petr Mrazek wasn't able to backstop the Red Wings to a series-clinching victory in Game 6, but he has had a great series in between the pipes for Detroit. Mrazek, 23, has yielded 13 goals on 170 shots to give him a 2.29 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in the series and he's made saves like this ridiculous one on Brian Boyle:
4) Flashes of Greatness: Lightning forward Tyler Johnson is having a series to remember as he is tied for the NHL playoff lead with six goals and he found the back of the net twice in Game 6 to help force this do-or-die game on home ice. Johnson, 24, has found the twine twice in each of Tampa Bay's three victories in this series. Johnson is also tied for second in the NHL and leads his team with seven points in Round 1.
3) Odds and Evens: These teams have alternated wins and losses in every single game of the series up to this point. Detroit jumped out to 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 series leads throughout the set only to have Tampa Bay come roaring back to even things up at 1-1, 2-2 and 3-3 each time.
2) Home Ice Disadvantage: Thus far in this series, the road team has won four of the six games. The Red Wings won Game 1 (3-2 final) and Game 5 (4-0) at Amalie Arena while the Lightning picked up victories in Game 4 (3-2 in overtime) and Game 6 (5-2) at the Joe Louis Arena. Detroit won at home in Game 3 (3-0) while Tampa Bay picked up a win in Game 2 on home ice (5-1). The Lightning won an NHL-best 32 games at home in the regular season and will look to continue that trend and buck the pattern this series has followed. The Red Wings won 22 games away from Detroit in 2014-15.
1) Game 7 History: The Red Wings have played 24 Game 7s in franchise history and own a 14-10 record while the Lightning are 3-1 through four do-or-die games. Detroit played back-to-back Game 7s in 2013, the last time it played a game with these stakes. The Red Wings overcame the Anaheim Ducks in Round 1 in that spring before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in a win-or-go-home game. Tampa Bay's last two Game 7s also came in the same postseason, dating back to 2011. The Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens in a series that went the distance in Round 1 and then fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in seven in the Eastern Conference Final.
The Red Wings and Lightning both look to advance and face the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2 when the puck drops live tonight from the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay for Game 7.
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