was a big reason the Red Wings scored 209 non-shootout goals and had a minus-13 goal differential. Tatar went from 29 to 21 goals and Nyquist from 27 to 17. The Lightning scored 224 non-shootout goals and had a plus-26 differential.

Datsyuk, 37, may be in his final season with Detroit; he told the Detroit Free Press on Sunday that he plans to forego the last season of his three-year contract and return to Russia. He and Zetterberg, 35, remain impact players, but not at the level they were a decade ago. It's a pretty good bet Detroit would have missed the playoffs if not for the surprising first-year season of 19-year-old Larkin.

Justin Abdelkader continued to be a complete forward who plays a two-way, 200-foot physical game. He finishedwith 19 goals and led the Red Wings with 120 penalty minutes.

The play of third-line center Riley Sheahan and fourth-line center Luke Glendening will be a barometer of playoff success. They have to win their matchups. Sheahan scored some big goals during Detroit's push for the playoffs late in the season.

The experience of Brad Richards will be a plus, as will the speed of rookie Andreas Athanasiou, who was an impact player in limited minutes after being called up from Grand Rapids of the AHL during the season.

DEFENSEMEN

Lightning: As damaging as the Stamkos injury is for the forwards, losing Anton Stralman is a major blow to the defense. Stralman, out with a fractured left fibula sustained on March 25, played more 20 minutes a game, killed penalties, played