PREVIEW: Next stop on four-game road trip has Red Wings in Tampa Bay for big Atlantic Division clash on Thursday

TAMPA -- Looking to gain some important ground in the Atlantic Division standings, the Detroit Red Wings will square off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Benchmark International Arena on Thursday night.

“It’s the middle of March and the races are on,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “Even the teams that are in a situation where they’re likely looking to give opportunity to players and maybe down the road a little bit, those are hard teams to play against because they play loose and free. This time of year is not easy. It’s good for us to be playing in it.”

Ahead of Thursday’s 7 p.m. puck drop, which will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit and 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit, Detroit (36-22-7; 79 points) held the Eastern Conference’s first Wild-Card spot and was just three points behind Tampa Bay (39-20-4; 82 points) for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Red Wings are 1-1-0 against the Lightning so far this season, and will meet for the fourth and final time in Tampa Bay on April 13.

Detroit’s forward depth is set to be tested here down the stretch, as McLellan announced after Thursday’s morning skate at Benchmark International Arena that both captain Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp will be sidelined for two weeks with lower-body injuries before being reassessed.

The pair of forwards each sustained their injuries in two separate games against the Florida Panthers, with Larkin leaving midway through the third period of last Friday’s 3-1 loss at Little Caesars Arena and Copp exiting around the midpoint of the middle frame in Tuesday’s 4-3 setback at Amerant Bank Arena.

“They’re both very good players and we’d like to have them in the lineup,” McLellan said. “If all goes well with recovery, we hope we have them back. In that timeframe, they don’t lose a lot of conditioning or timing if you will. As it goes longer, then you run into having to get them back up to speed and getting their lungs and their legs back. We’re hoping the two-week time frame is what it turns out to be.”

In addition, McLellan noted David Perron (lower body) will be out for a week while “the others that are banged up, should be able to play tonight.”

Sheldon Dries, who was one of three forwards recalled from the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday, said he’s prepared to slot into Detroit’s lineup and embrace that next-man-up mantra.  

“I’m not the tallest guy, but I like to be a little water bug out there,” the 31-year-old said. “Tenacious on the puck, strong defensively and chip in offensively. “

Owning a 19-11-0 record at home but having dropped six of their last seven games overall, the Lighting are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Benchmark International Arena on Tuesday.

Nikita Kucherov is currently tied with Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche for the second-most points (104) in the NHL and leads Tampa Bay in points, goals (34) and assists (70). Jake Guentzel follows with 67 points (27 goals, 40 assists) and Brandon Hagel has 59 points (30 goals, 29 assists). Between the pipes, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has compiled a 29-11-3 record with a 2.32 goals-against average and .913 save percentage along with two shutouts in 43 starts.

“I expect our guys to show up and play,” Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said. “Morning skate was good. A lot of times, you can feel ‘Woe is us.’ If that creeps in, then we have a lot of work to do but I didn’t sense that at all. I expect our guys to play. We know the opponent we’re playing against. They’re a very, very good hockey club. They can get after you in so many different ways, so everybody’s got to pull on the rope and be ready to play. That’s what I expect.”