Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning
The first round of the 2016 NHL Playoffs gets underway on Wednesday evening when the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning square off in Game 1 of what promises to be an exciting series.
Tampa Bay beat Detroit in seven closely contested games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs a year ago, starting off a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Another long series could be in store, as the teams were separated by just four points in the regular season.
While the Lightning weren’t as successful in the regular season as they were last year, they racked up 97 points to finish second in the Atlantic Division. With numerous key players out with injuries, including Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman, for possibly the entire series, Tampa Bay will be counting on 21-year-old Jonathan Drouin, who was recently reinstated from a six-week suspension.
Detroit piled up 93 points, third in the Atlantic Division, and earned its 25th consecutive playoff appearance on the second to last day of the regular season. Pavel Datsyuk’s last playoff run is the big storyline in Detroit, but 19-year-old phenom Dylan Larkin is also worth tuning in for.
The series begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday on NBCSports Network and can be streamed online on NBC Sports Live Extra. CBC and Fox Sports Detroit will also have TB coverage.
Details for Game 1 between the Red Wings and Lightning are below.
Date: Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Stadium: Amalie Arena
TV Info: NBCSports Network, CBC, Fox Sports Detroit
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
For more coverage of the NHL Playoffs, make sure to check out our NHL hub page.