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Alright, got a win. Can they get another and get back on track?
The Red Wings face a surging Carolina Hurricanes tonight. The Canes, winners of five straight, are firmly in the playoff picture holding the second spot in the Metro. A win for Detroit would keep them on pace with Columbus and NYR for that second wild card spot. Points are important at this time of year for teams like Detroit — we saw what happened last year. Safe to say you can call this “gut check” time.
Todd McLellan said that they didn’t practice before Buffalo, and that they didn’t before this game either. His reasoning makes sense — fatigue is a real factor this time of year. Instead they watched film. I’m fully with coach on this decision.
Petr Mrazek is in line for his second-straight start for Detroit, after holding the Sabres to three goals against Detroit’s seven on Wednesday night. Mrazek is suiting up against his old team, and I am only slightly terrified. Again, I hope he’s still got some unicorn magic left in him. At least Necas isn’t with Carolina any longer though let’s not forget about our old friend Shayne Gostisbehere.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Wings will likely roll the same exact lineup they did against Buffalo. There was some roster movement today — Troy Dello was traded to New Jersey in exchange for future considerations.
How to Tune In
Time: 7:00 PM ETWatch: FanDuel Sports Network
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Red Wings Projected Lineup
Soderblom-Larkin-RaymondDeBrincat-Kasper-KaneSmith-Compher-Tarasenko
Motte-Rasmussen-Shine
Chiarot-SeiderEdvinsson-Johansson
Gustafsson-Holl
Mrazek
Talbot (backup)
Hurricanes Projected Lineup
Blake-Aho-JarvisHall-Kotkaniemi-RoslovicMartinook-Staal-Stankoven
Robinson-Jankowski-Jost
Slavin-BurnsGostisbehere-Chatfield
Walker-Morrow
AndersenKotchetkov (Backup)
Not sure who Carolina is starting until around game time.
I published that this game was at Little Caesars Arena. That is not accurate as they are playing in Raleigh, NC. Please accept my apologies for the error.
