Tampa has a one-point standings lead and a higher power-index ranking, but Detroit arrives in better recent form.
Tampa Bay has 18 points through 13 games, one ahead of Detroit’s 17 through 15, with the Lightning looking to extend their edge at home. Tampa ranks eighth in the power index to Detroit’s 18th, but has gone 2-3 in its last five while the Red Wings are 3-2. The key matchup is between top-line creators: Nikita Kucherov has 18 points in 13 games, and Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat leads his team with 16 in 15. Tampa’s top six averages 5.85 points per game to Detroit’s 5.0, so whether the Red Wings can blunt that production may decide a close matchup.