The Tampa Bay Lightning face the Detroit Red Wings with both teams looking to build off of strong seasons. The Lightning have a 24-17-5 record and with five wins in a row, they have leaped into third place in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings have a 23-17-5 record and seven wins in their last 10 games, they have the fifth-best record in the division. Both teams look to improve in the division and the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a great one.
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The Lightning are having a great season with their offense carrying them, scoring 3.38 goals per game with 19 goals in the last four games. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point have scored 49 goals and 73 assists to lead the top line but the rest of the offense has been great as well. Steven Stamkos, Brandon Hagel, and Nick Paul have combined for 43 goals and 58 assists while defensemen Victor Hedman and Darren Raddysh have added 11 goals and 48 assists from the point to open up the offense.
GO, SHORTY ?? pic.twitter.com/YiTXxIIpJt
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 20, 2024
The offense has been great but the defense has struggled, allowing 3.38 goals per game. Victor Hedman and Nicklaus Perbix have combined for 4.6 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to find open shots on the net with ease. In addition, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has struggled with a .899 save percentage and a 2.86 goals-against average on 612 shots with -3.0 goals saved above average.