Schedule and 2014-15 Results
Regular Season Records: Tampa Bay 50-24-8=108pts, Detroit 43-25-14=100pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 16 April: Detroit wins at Tampa Bay, 3-goals-2
Game 2 on Saturday, 18 April: Detroit loses at Tampa Bay, 5-goals-1
Game 3 on Tuesday, 21 April: Tampa Bay loses at Detroit, 3-goals-nil
Game 4 on Thursday, 23 April: Tampa Bay wins at Detroit, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 5 on Saturday, 25 April: Detroit wins at Tampa Bay, 4-goals-nil
Game 6 on Monday, 27 April: Tampa Bay wins at Detroit, 5-goals-2
Game 7 on Wednesday, 29 April: Detroit loses at Tampa Bay, 2-goals-nil

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 7: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and shut out the Detroit Red Wings 2-goals-nil to complete a 4-games-3 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1255 victory. With the series 1255 win, the Tampa Bay Lightning improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 8-6 overall and 4-4 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1255 loss, the Detroit Red Wings see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 55-44 overall and 17-10 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Tampa Bay Lightning in series 1255 was LWLWLWW: Series 1255 thus becomes the fourth NHL Preliminary-round series, the 12th NHL series (all rounds), and the 22nd MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. Ironically, the last NHL team to follow a LWLWLWW win order to completion was the Detroit Red Wings (in series 1193, in the 2013 NHL Preliminary round). The Tampa Bay whitewash of Detroit in series 1255 Game 7 is the 27th Game 7 shutout in best-of-7 format NHL playoff Game 7 history, and the first since series 1190, in which the New York Rangers accomplished the feat in the 2013 NHL Preliminary round. The Lightning also pitched a Game 7 shutout to conclude series 1125, in the 2011 NHL Preliminary round.

After Game 6: The Tampa Bay Lightning visited and defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-goals-2 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1255 at 3-games-all. When tied 3-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a Game 7 record of 3-1, while the Detroit Red Wings have a Game 7 record of 14-10. Series 1255 becomes the first best-of-7 NHL Preliminary-round series to follow a win/site order of LWLWLW @ HHVVHV into Game 7.

After Game 5: The Detroit Red Wings visited and shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-goals-nil to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1255 lead of 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 24-6 and a Game 6 record of 18-12. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 2-3 and a Game 6 record of 3-2.

After Game 4: The Tampa Bay Lightning visited and bested the Detroit Red Wings 3-goals-2 in overtime to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1255 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 3-3 and a Game 5 record of 2-4 (with an active three-Game 5 losing streak), while the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 22-14 and a Game 5 record of 19-17. Tampa trailed the Red Wings in Detroit by two goals as late as 14:33 into the third period. In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games from 1939 through 2014, inclusive, road teams down two goals as late as 14:33 into the third period had a game record of only 2-473 (.004). The two winners: the Philadelphia Flyers in series 323 (over the Maple Leafs in Toronto, in Game 4 of their 1977 NHL Quarterfinals series); the Anaheim Ducks in series 1227 (over the Stars in Dallas, in Game 6 of their 2014 Preliminary-round series).

After Game 3: The Detroit Red Wings hosted and shut out the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-goals-nil to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1255 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 24-11 and a Game 4 record of 15-20. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 3-3 and a Game 4 record of 3-3.

After Game 2: The Tampa Bay Lightning hosted and topped the Detroit Red Wings 5-goals-1 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1255 at 1-game-all.

After Game 1: The Detroit Red Wings visited and topped the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-goals-2 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1255 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 38-15 and a Game 2 record of 36-17. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a series record of 3-5 and a Game 2 record of 5-3.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2014-15 NHL regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning finished eight points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings. From 1939 through the 2014 NHL Finals round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by eight regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 16-6 (.727) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1255 is the 14th best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the 99th for the Detroit Red Wings. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Tampa Bay Lightning have an all-rounds series record of 7-6, a Preliminary-round series record of 3-4, and a Game 1 record of 5-8, while the Detroit Red Wings have an all-rounds series record of 55-43, a Preliminary-round series record of 17-9, and a Game 1 record of 53-45. Series 1255 is the first best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings.