Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily Picks Red Wings Lightning meet in Game 7

vs. , 7:30 p.m. ET, Game 7, NBCSNSeries tied 3-3The first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs comes to a close on Wednesday night with one more Game 7.This time it is in Tampa Bay where the Lightning will host the Detroit Red Wings in the deciding game of their first round matchup.The big story in this game, of course, came on Tuesday when the NHL suspended Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov during Game 6. Even though the Kyle Korver Jersey hit deserved a suspension, it was still a little surprising to see the NHL actually go through with it and suspend a player for such an enormous game, . It is definitely going to be an i sue for the Red Wings as Kronwall is not only one of the their top players and arguably their top defenseman, he has also played more than 23 minutes per night in this series, three minutes more than any other player on the team.That is a big hole to fill and a lot of top minutes for somebody else Elijah Hughes Jersey to eat up.What should be especially concerning for the Red Wings given the absence of Kronwall is that the Lightning offense seemed to start finding its way in Game 6, continuing what has been a rather hit-or-mi s series for them. The Lightning have been shut out twice by Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek, but they have also scored five goals twice and three goals once. And even though the Red Wings have managed to keep Steven Stamkos off the scoreboard, they have not been able Jarrell Brantley Jersey to find an answer for Tyler Johnson who just keeps scoring goals and making big plays for the Lightning. Nine different players have combined to score 15 goals in this series for the Lightning, but only two of them have more than one: Alex Killorn (two) and Johnson (six).Can the Red Wings defense and Mrazek slow the Lightning down enough to win one more game and pull off the upset?Without Kronwall, it’s going to be a challenge. Pick: Lightning 4, Red Wings 2Three Stars1. , Tampa Bay Lightning: How do you not go with a guy that has six goals in six games, including three different two-goal games? He is the most dangerous player in this series right now and always seems to be in the right place to make a big play when the Lightning need it most. 2. , Tampa Bay Lightning: Jordan Clarkson Jersey No, he doesn’t have a goal in the series, but he hasn’t exactly been a liability, either. One of these days we’ll all realize that given the current goal scoring climate in the NHL even the best players in the world are going to hit lengthy dry spells from time to time. All you can do is keep trying to make plays, keep Tony Bradley Jersey creating chances, and keep getting pucks at the net. He has 19 shots on goal in the series. Eventually he is going to find the back of the net.3. , Detroit Red Wings: Other than and , Tatas has been a bright spot at times for the Red Wings in this series, including Game 6 when he scored a pair of goals to try and get his team back into the game. He is one of the new faces that is going to keep the Red Wings a contender in the NHL for the foreseeable future as their veterans continue to get older.