The Red Wings could have finished the series off and been on the winning end of a series for the first time since they joined the Eastern Conference, but they had a huge let down of energy after stealing game five in Tampa Bay. Detroit has looked horrible at home, except for game three, but they have surprised many on the road. Unfortunately, at some point the Red Wings time on the road might be up, and if Tyler Johnson gets any say, it will be.
Tyler Johnson once again scored two goals in Detroit, giving him 6 this series, tying him with Vladimir Tarasenko for the lead in the NHL this playoffs. He has been the only one to find a way to get the puck past Mrazek, but his efforts alone might be enough to give the Lightning a chance to improve before facing Montreal likely on Thursday. Alex Killorn scored the security goal while James Garrison also scored for the Lightning. Cedric Paquette scored the empty netter to end the game with a 5-2 final score. Nikita Kucherov also had a good game, tallying three assists for the Lightning, while also being one of the best defenders on the ice for Tampa Bay.
For the Red Wings, Tomas Tatar had a fantastic game, scoring both of Detroit's goals in game six, making the majority of the third period a lot more intense than some Lightning fans would have liked. Tatar has been one of Detroit's best players this series, also scoring the teams lone goal in game two's 5-1 loss.
Tampa Bay clearly deserved to win game six. They came into Detroit knowing their playoff lives were on the line, and took the game 5-2. Detroit now has to steal their third game in the Amalie, which at the beginning of this series seemed like an impossible task. The series has featured two road wins from each team, meaning if the Red Wings somehow pull off the upset win in Tampa in game seven, that the home team would have only won two games in a series that both teams were unlikely to win on the road.
A game seven seems like a good result for Tampa Bay the way this series has gone so far. The Red Wings and Lightning have alternated wins all series, with the Red Wings winning the odd numbered games so far and the Lightning winning the evens. Each goaltender has done a good job at bouncing back from their previous loss, as have the star scorers on the respective teams.
As for Game Seven, the Lightning and Red Wings will meet on Wednesday night after the start of round two for the other series. This is a tremendous disadvantage to the winner of game seven, as they will have less than 20 hours to travel to Montreal for a game one on Thursday night, instead of a two day break going into a possible game on Wednesday. The X-Factor in game seven is Tyler Johnson. If he can find a way to score at home, the Lightning might have an easy win and advance Wednesday night. If the Red Wings defense, or even moreso goaltender Petr Mrazek can stop Johnson from getting his name on the scoresheet, then Detroit should cruise to what could be an easy win (assuming they continue to shut down Steven Stamkos). Detroit has done fairly well in game sevens in recent memory, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in triple overtime in their last one, and in the series prior to that beating the Anahiem Ducks 5-1 behind a huge game from Gustav Nyquist. No doubt there will need to be a hero for one of these two teams. Whether it's Tyler Johnson once again for the Lightning, or someone else, that will have to wait until Wednesday.