Red Wings face surging Bruins after a tough loss. Can their top scorers ignite a struggling defense against Boston's hot goalie?
The Detroit Red Wings continue their back-to-back stretch on Saturday as they take on the Boston Bruins in leg two of a home-and-home series. Detroit comes off a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, extending their struggles with just five wins in their last 13 games. The Bruins will return to Detroit for the second leg of their home-and-home this Tuesday.
The Red Wings are expected to roll out the same lineup that scored three goals against Tampa, with depth forwards J.T. Compher and Michael Rasmussen each contributing multi-point games while working off the fourth line. Captain Dylan Larkin leads the way with his 14th goal of the season, bringing his total to 27 points in 25 games.
On the defensive side, Detroit has been one of the league’s worst units, surrendering six goals in consecutive games and allowing a league-high 24 goals over their last five contests. Albert Johansson has borne the brunt, conceding 12 goals in that span (nine at even strength, three on the power play), while Ben Chiarot has struggled with eight even-strength goals against.
Travis Hamonic is tied with Johansson for the worst even-strength goal differential on the team over this stretch, allowing eight goals (seven at even strength, one on the power play). The team’s record with Hamonic in the lineup has been 7-8-0, compared to 6-2-1 in games he has missed, underscoring the difficult start for Detroit this season.
For the Red Wings, Cam Talbot is confirmed as the team's starter while going against one of the hottest goaltenders in the league this season in Boston's Jeremy Swayman.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
Detroit Red Wings’ Expected Line Combinations vs. Boston (Saturday):
Finnie – Larkin – Raymond
DeBrincat – Kasper – van Riemsdyk
Copp – Danielson – Kane
Rasmussen – Compher – Appleton
Edvinsson – Seider
Chiarot – Sandin-Pellikka
Johansson – Benard-Docker
Talbot
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.