Today is the day. Playoff hockey is back in Tampa. The Lightning will meet the Detroit Red Wings at Amalie Arena tonight for Game One of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal matchup.
While the Red Wings have made the postseason for 24 consecutive years, this is only Tampa’s second straight trip to the dance. After being swept by the Montreal Canadiens in last year’s first round, the Bolts absolutely have something to prove.
Unlike the team Tampa faced last year, the Red Wings play a possession game. Detroit was one of the league’s premier and elite possession teams this past season, even in the face of some serious adversity. While they struggled down the stretch and barely hobbled into the playoff picture, Detroit can’t be taken lightly.
The good news for the Lightning as they get set to face a formidable opponent is that they appear to be getting healthy. Braydon Coburn, Andrej Sustr, and Alex Killorn are all reportedly set to go, and are expected to be in the lineup when puck drops. Jason Garrison, who donned a regular jersey at practice, isn’t quite ready for game action, but he is getting closer. Everything is looking good in the injury department, as the medical ward is slowly clearing out at Amalie.
With all those healthy bodies ready to go, Lightning head coach Jon Cooper will be forced to make some lineup decisions. Per Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune, Mark Barberio and Jonathan Drouin are likely the odd men out. Both are expected to sit as scratches in this game.
Because this morning’s skate was an optional one, it’s tough to gauge what the actual lines and pairings will look like. One thing that is for certain, though, is that Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Nikita Kucherov will be together as they have been for so much of the year. Detroit head coach Mike Babcock, regarded as one of hockey’s keenest minds, was singing that trio’s praises earlier this week:
You can almost guarantee that Babcock will have a intimidating defensive presence out whenever those guys are on the ice.
Behind the ‘Triplets’, the Lightning will turn to Ben Bishop. The big goaltender was unable to start in last year’s postseason, but he’s ready to go this time around. This will be his first National Hockey League playoff game. Likewise, the Red Wings will turn to an NHL playoff rookie; Petr Mrazek, who shut out the Lightning earlier this year, will get the start in net for them.
As with any opening game in the first round, tonight’s will likely have a ton of pace. When two teams that like to possess the puck get together, excitement often ensues. Fans who are lucky enough to be in attendance tonight are likely going to be in for a treat. Although the Lightning organization may not like it, I’m sure some fans wearing red might even sneak in and enjoy the action too…
As always, thanks for reading.
Michael Stuart has been the Tampa Bay Lightning writer for HockeyBuzz since 2012. Visit his archive to read more or follow him on Twitter. 
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