BRANDON, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman wouldn't want to deal with another outcome like the four-game sweep the Montreal Canadiens handed them in the Eastern Conference First Round last season.

Hedman, however, said the experience was good for the Lightning, who this year play Game 1 of the first round against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; CNBC, SN, TVA Sports 2, FS-F, FS-D).

"Everyone knows what to expect now," Hedman said. "We've gotten that disappointment out of the way and got that experience out of the way. Everyone's excited to get back. We're hungry to win. I think every team in the [Stanley Cup Playoffs] is hungry. At the same time, we have to go in there and be prepared. It's going to be a tough challenge but we're healthy and ready to go."

Hedman battled injuries for much of the 2014-15 season. After a hot start he fractured his finger Oct. 18 against the Vancouver Canucks and missed 18 games.

A lower-body injury Jan. 12 against the Philadelphia Flyers forced Hedman to miss two games, and another injury March 30 against the Canadiens took him out of the lineup for three more.

"Obviously it's been a little up-and-down this season, but I feel fresh right now and I'm glad I was able to get that game against Boston when I played a lot of minutes (26:20 on April 11)," Hedman said. "That's the type of player I want to be and that's the type of player I expect to be. I only played 59 games this year so that is a little frustrating. But I feel good and my body feels fresh right now."

Hedman is the key piece of a defensive group that is almost as healthy as it has been all season. During the past month the Lightning have been without as many as four starting defensemen. But with Hedman's return to the lineup last week, and the expected returns of Braydon Coburn (foot) and Andrej Sustr (finger) on Thursday, the Lightning will be as strong on the back end as it's been in several weeks.

"We've faced a lot of adversity throughout the season, and now to see guys get healthy and get back in the lineup is a big boost for the whole locker room," Hedman said. "It was good to see [Jason Garrison] get back out there without the red jersey."

Not surprisingly, Hedman's numbers dipped slightly after missing 23 games. He had 10 goals and 28 assists but his 38 points this season were 17 fewer than 2013-14 when he had 13 goals and 42 assists. Hedman improved his plus/minus rating from plus-5 to plus-12 and continued to develop into a leader.

"We're a much better team with Victor Hedman in the lineup than we are without him, that's for certain," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "He plays power play for us, he has one of the best shots on the team, he is a guy that plays a lot of minutes, and he plays in late-game situations. His value to this team is extremely high."

The expectations the Lightning face in the playoffs are also extremely high.

Victor Hedman

Defense - TBL

Goals: - | Assists: - | Pts: -
Shots: - | +/-: -

"We've played well all season but we never stopped working and staying prepared," Hedman said. "Bringing in guys like [Anton] Stralman, [Brian] Boyle, and bringing in [Ryan] Callahan at the [NHL Trade] Deadline last year had a positive effect on the guys in here because they are great players and great leaders. They have helped bring out the best in us."

The one thing Hedman said the Lightning won't do is get overconfident based on their regular-season results against the Red Wings.

"They are still a very good team and very tough to play because they stick to their structure very well," Hedman said. "We've had some good results against them but the playoffs are much different and everyone's going to be tougher. And I'm not saying they weren't tough during the season, but they will be even tougher."

Once the puck drops Thursday and the game begins, Hedman said he expects the initial nerves to go away quickly and the Lightning to play like they have for much of the season.

"We're just going to focus on this game and playing the right way on every shift," Hedman said. "We're a little excited and antsy for the start, but that's to be expected. We know what to expect in the playoffs and we know that we're going to live in this moment and not worry what happened in the past. We know how good we are and we expect to compete for the Stanley Cup."