GAME DAY vs. BLUES
Saturday Night’s Alright
It took a lucky bounce and a missed call to get there, but the Wings squeaked out a shootout win against the Kings on Saturday night. Tomas Tatar scored the lone goal in the shootout to clinch the win for the Wings. The game was just the third win for the Winged Wheel in the month of January however the team is perfect when playing on Saturday nights in 2014.
The Wings were rallying for a late goal to tie the game when Niklas Kronwall’s point shot deflected high over the glass, bounced off the netting, and ricocheted off Jonathan Quick’s back and into the net. There’s no way the goal should’ve counted but, as pretty much everyone said in the post game interviews, sometimes you get the bounces and sometimes you don’t. On this occasion, the Red Wings were the beneficiaries.
Blues Come To Town
Tonight, the Blues come to Detroit trying to shake back to back loses at home. The former division rivals sit second in the Central Division, trailing the Blackhawks by six points.
TJ Oshie leads the Blues with 41 points (11G, 30A) and is riding a three game point streak into town over which he’s scored two goals and added two helpers.
Sniper Alexander Steen will be looking to bury his first goal since returning from an injury that, until Saturday, had him sidelined since before Christmas. Steen got off to a fast start and is averaging more than a point a game this year (36GP, 24G, 14A, 38P).
Darren Helm will make his return to action tonight. Helm has not played since December 30th, a game which was his first back from a prior injury. Helm has only played in 16 games this season and has 11 points (7G, 4A).
Jimmy Howard will start tonight. Howard has seemed to put his slow start behind him in 2014. The Wings’ starter has looked solid between the pipes and in three of the last five games has made more than 40 saves.
Injury trouble remains a constant story surrounding the Red Wings. Pavel Datsyuk, Stephen Weiss, Daniel Alfredsson, Joakim Andersson, Jonathan Ericsson, Jonas Gustavsson, and Johan Franzen are all out of the lineup tonight.
PROJECTED LINES (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
RED WINGS
Nyquist - Zetterberg - Abdelkader Jurco - Sheahan - Bertuzzi Miller - Helm - Tatar Clearly - Glendening - Eaves
Kronwall - Smith DeKeyser - Quincey Lashoff - Kindl
Jimmy Howard (starting) Petr Mrazek
BLUES
Steen - Backes - Oshie Schwartz - Berglund - Stewart Morrow - Sobotka - Tarasenko Paajarvi - Roy - Reaves
Piertrangelo - Bouwmeester Shattenkirk - Jackman Cole - Polak
Jaroslav Halak (starting) Brian Elliott