Tampa Bay Lightning host Detroit Red Wings in the lone game of the season
The third game of the Thursday which is also one of the cross-conference encounters would see the Tampa Bay Lightning play host to the Detroit Red Wings. This is the lone meeting between the two sides with the last game going in Red Wings favour as they
won 3-0. The interesting fact ahead of the game is that Red Wings have won the last four games against the Tampa Bay.
This is the first time that the long career of Steve Yzerman would see him up against the Red Wings from whom he played for a long period of time. However, this time he won’t be on ice as a player but as the vice president and manager of the Lightning. Yzerman
proved to be a very productive player for the Red Wings and wrote his names among the very best that they have come across. He leads the Red Wings with all time assist with 1063.
He has come across a lot of success and won three Stanley Cups as a player and one while in the administration. Currently, he has the Lightning on the same roads as under his guidance the Lightning is top of the Southeast Division.
Lightning have emerged as one of the contenders of the Stanley Cup. Their consistency and hard work has placed them top of the Southeast Division. Not only this, but the Lightning have successfully opened up a four point gap with the Washington Capitals
who are second in the Division. Lightning has maintained a record of 10 games in which they have scored at least a point while losing only one in shootout against the Philadelphia Flyers this Tuesday.
"I'm not going to place too much emphasis on this game, but I'm curious to see how we play against Henrik (Zetterberg) and Pav (Datsyuk) and Nick (Lidstrom) and all these great players," Yzerman said ahead of the game.
Lightning has played 57 games of the season so far out of which they have won 34 games in regulation time, 6 games in overtime and have scored 74 points. Red Wings on the other hand have played 56 games out of which they have won 34 games in regulation time
and 6 games in overtime to score 74 points as well.
There is widespread curiosity as to how the Red Wings would perform as they face the Lightning for the first time under Steve Yzerman.
"Every time you look at the standings and see where they're at, he's done a lot of good things down there, and that team's playing really well," Yzerman's former teammate Kris Draper said. "It's certainly going to be different going into Tampa and knowing
that it's Steve Yzerman's hockey team."
The game has all the elements of being a very tight, entertaining and goals fiesta game with Lightning having the slightly upper hand and good chance of winning.
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