Detroit Red Wings vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Preview and Prediction for Game 7

It's been one of the best series in the first round. 

On one side are the Detroit Red Wings, old but wonderfully professional and consistently dangerous. On the other side, the Tampa Bay Lightning are an emerging threat, a top young team still trying to establish itself as a contender. Three times Detroit has taken a lead in the series, and three times the Lightning have come back to tie things up.

Who will win the decisive Game 7 showdown between the two?

Lightning Top Storylines

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Tyler Johnson's emergence as a bona fide star

Johnson had a brilliant regular season, scoring 29 goals and recording 72 points, and his early work in the playoffs has been outstanding. In six games, he has scored six times and added an assist; he's been the most potent offensive weapon on either side.

He was at his best with the Bolts facing elimination, scoring both the opening goal and the eventual winner in Game 6:  

It's been an incredible performance but especially for a player who was never drafted. The Lightning found a superstar once in a small, undrafted forward, with Martin St. Louis spending the best years of a brilliant career in Tampa Bay. They may have done it again.

Steven Stamkos' disappearing act

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Tampa Bay's captain has been getting some opportunities, but he's been snakebitten as of late in the worst way. "Confidence" gets blamed for and/or credited with far more than it actually deserves, but it might have something to do with this; it's not often that Stamkos gets stoned, as he was by Petr Mrazek in Game 6, when he has time and space at point-blank range.  

This is particularly true when a player isn't battling injury.

“Because I’m not scoring, people think you are injured,” Stamkos told the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan. “That’s not the case. I feel great. Everyone is going through some bumps and bruises at this time, but if I had a couple of goals no one would be asking if I was injured.”

It's entirely normal for even established playoff stars to have a quiet round (it's happened to Jonathan Toews and plenty of others), but the Lightning will need Stamkos to start finding the range at some point. Game 7 would seem like an ideal opportunity.

How will Ben Bishop perform in his first Game 7?

An injury to Tampa Bay's No. 1 goaltender was widely seen as one of the key reasons behind the club's early playoff exit last season. However, six games into his NHL playoff career, Bishop has not replicated his regular-season success. He has a mediocre .904 save percentage and has had some unfortunate moments:

Most won't hold his struggles against him if he shines in Game 7. 

Red Wings' Top Storylines

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Niklas Kronwall will miss Game 7

The NHL's Department of Player Safety announced that Detroit's No. 1 defenceman would face a hearing on Tuesday thanks to this heavy hit on Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov: 

Later in the day, Kronwall was suspended for one game as a result of the hit.

This will leave Detroit in a tough spot. Kronwall logs heavy minutes at even strength and on both special teams and has led the Red Wings with an average of 23:35 in ice time per game. Somehow, they need to find a way to replace an all-situations workhorse and top shutdown option. 

Will Henrik Zetterberg be a Game 7 star once again?

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The Red Wings have some recent history with Game 7 situations, and no player on the roster has been more impressive in these games than team captain Henrik Zetterberg. According to NHL.com, in six career games, Zetterberg has three goals and nine points, easily the most of any player on either side.  

Zetterberg has had a quiet series with just three assists through six games; Detroit could really use a dominant performance now. 

Petr Mrazek is making a strong case to be Detroit's permanent No. 1

Head coach Mike Babcock took a risk when he named 23-year-old Petr Mrazek, a veteran of just 40 NHL games, as Detroit's starter in place of incumbent Jimmy Howard, but so far it has paid off. Mrazek has been the Red Wings' most important player in the first round, posting two shutouts and a .924 save percentage.

In Game 6, he also made a save that is an early contender for highlight of the playoffs: 

Mrazek has an impressive resume that suggests he could be a legitimate NHL starter; guiding his team to a Game 7 win would be a big step in that direction. He's familiar with high-pressure games, both from international experience and a successful run for the Calder Cup in the AHL in 2013. 

Prediction

There isn't much separating these two teams, and the loss of Detroit's No. 1 defenceman might make all the difference. Between that and the Red Wings' failure to close this series out at home in Game 6, Tampa Bay is the obvious choice to come away with the win.  

Lightning 3, Red Wings 1

Statistics courtesy of NHL.com unless otherwise noted.

Jonathan Willis covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for more of his work.