The Red Wings will go to battle tonight in Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning without their two most experienced defensemen.
Marek Zidlicky, who experienced concussion-like symptoms after Game 6, will join suspended Niklas Kronwall on the sidelines for the most crucial game of Detroit's season to date, coach Mike Babcock confirmed Wednesday.
The Wings and Lightning are tied, 3-3, in the best-of-seven first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against Montreal. That series begins Friday night in Quebec.
Zidlicky, 38, is scoreless in six games this series, but he was a fixture on a Detroit power play that has made a difference in this series. He had seven goals and 34 points in 84 games this season. He joined the Wings at the March 2 trade deadline in a deal with New Jersey.
Kronwall, 34 and in his 11th season with the Wings, leads all players in ice time in this series at nearly 24 minutes per game. He was the scoring leader among Detroit defensemen this season with nine goals and 44 points in 80 games.
"I need to do my best to stay positive, give energy to the guys instead of draining them," Kronwall said. "We have some work to do. It's a big game. Go out, enjoy it and make the most of it."
In their absence, the Wings are likely to play two far less experienced players: Alexey Marchenko, 23, who played the first two games of this series; and Jakub Kindl, 28, who had five goals and 13 points in 35 regular-season games but hasn't dressed in these playoffs.
"I expect them to play good," Babcock said. "I expect us to come here and enjoy being in the atmosphere and enjoy being in Game 7 and get ourselves a win. There's a deli called Schwartz in Montreal that I'm dying to have a sandwich from."
