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Our lineup in Chicago.
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 29, 2021
📻: @WWJ950 | #LGRW pic.twitter.com/IVwxelBW8H
If you missed it, I did a …Twas the night before Red Wings poem for yesterday’s post. Just a bit of fun before the preseason puck drops tonight in Chicago. The Blackhawks official site should have the stream which starts at 8:30pm EST (7:30 CST)
I’ve broken down some of what I think the preseason will look like. Since tomorrow is a home game and it’s early in the preseason, I expect tonight to have a Wings roster heavy with prospects and players looking for their spots. Larkin is likely out for a few games (per Blashill earlier this week) and no news on Vrana’s injury yet. These early games usually feature lower lines (3rd and 4th) of regulars along with some of the GR bound. Once the lineup is available I’ll post it.
What I’m looking for, as much as personnel, are signs of this year’s structure. The penalty kill and power play should start coming together. It looks as though they’re looking for straight zone entry as opposed to drop passes. More than anything, can the centers win those special teams draws and get setup. This team really needs strong faceoff work to have some more success on the special teams.
For the regular structure, what is the attack and defense? Can we do a better job against “loose… players in the neutral zone? Last night Panarin had a beautiful goal and perfect example of what I’m talking about. So many teams will allow a winger to drift into the neutral zone and look for the defense to clear. It will many times be someone fresh as it’s part of the change while the team goes back up ice. Matthews is also phenomenal at this. Even if the team ices the puck, the winger (or center in Matthews case) is so far ahead of the play that they can catch up. If they get the pass, it’s a 1-0 shootout style breakaway.
The best solution to this is having one defenseman play back and keep an eye on the neutral zone. Way back in the day, Weber and Suter would keep their skates outside of the blue line, even on the power play. It would stretch the defending team, and also give them the ability to turn quickly into the neutral zone. If you can see that all 5 opposing players are defending, you can play inside the blue line. Just small details like that.
I expect Chicago to have a strong lineup tonight for the home fans. It will be a challenge for Detroit’s road team, for sure. More than wins and losses at this point, I want to see opportunities created, strong back checking and clean line changes. Let me know what you’re looking for. It’s a fun night for sure, to see the Wings hit the ice.
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