GAME DAY
The Wings are in New Jersey tonight on the eve of the trade deadline. While the scores and highlights almost run secondary to trade speculation, rumors, and the rest of the hoopla that is the trade deadline, the Wings will have to pull their collective focus together to try and earn two more points to hold their spot in the standings.
The Blue Jackets pulled themselves to within one point of the Wings but did keep the Leafs from extending their lead on the Wings by another two. The game is an example of the gravity of nearly each game in the East for the rest of the season. With the Wings directly in the thick of things, each game has a push-pull kind of effect on the standings. Had that game gone the other way, there would be a little less pressure behind the Wings, but more distance between the Wings and the next spot ahead of them. The long and the short of it is each game from here on out counts and every point counts.
Tonight’s game in New Jersey will be the first of two meetings this week between the Devils and the Wings. The two teams met once before this season and the Wings won 3-1. Should the Wings be able to capitalize on opportunities the way they did in Ottawa last Thursday, the low scoring Devils will have a tough time countering. The Devils have the second lowest goals-for in the league up to now, only the Sabres have lit the lamp less.
Face-of-the-Franchise Martin Brodeur will be making the start for the Devils. Could the early announcement be an indicator that he’s there to stay, or is it to give him one more shot to defend the net that he’s looked after for his entire historic career?
On the injury front, Pavel Datsyuk didn’t make the trip to Newark and is day to day with a lower body injury. Stephen Weiss was expected to play tonight but his return has yet again been delayed.
While the players will do their best to treat tonight just like any other game and ignore the trade rumors, you can dive headfirst into the action and keep a close eye on the Hockey Buzz Rumor Tracker. Could there be some movement in HockeyTown?
RED WINGS
Franzen - Andersson - Nyquist Tatar - Sheahan – Jurco Abdelkader – Helm - Alfredsson Miller - Glendening - Bertuzzi
Kronwall - Ericsson Quincey - DeKeyser Lashoff - Smith
Jimmy Howard Jonas Gustavsson
Injuries: Weiss, Kindl, Zetterberg, Cleary, Datsyuk
DEVILS
Zubrus – Zajac – Jagr Henrique – Elias – Bernier Clowe – Loktionov – Ryder Carter – Josefson – Gionta
Greene – Fayne Volchenkov – Zidlicky Merrill – Gelinas
Martin Brodeur Cory Schneider
Injuries: Bryce Salvador