When the season began, you might have been forgiven if you didn't foresee the Stadium Series game between the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets (as well as the preceding bout between the two teams at Little Caesars Arena two nights prior) as harboring much by way of national or league-wide significance.

Now that the unique home-and-(outdoor) home has arrived, however, the stakes are undeniable.  Beginning Thursday night at LCA and carrying on Saturday evening in open air at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, the Wings and Jackets will vie for four points that may well determine the fate of the Eastern Conference wild card race.  Entering Thursday's action, both teams have played 58 games, with Detroit earning 66 points and the Blue Jackets 64, placing them in the first and second wild card spots respectively.

Predictably, Red Wings coach Todd McLellan emphasized that amidst the spectacle of the weekend, there is nothing more important than the actual results.  "These games are very meaningful, back-to-back set, outdoor just adds a lot more drama to it, but on Sunday when we all wake up, the actual hockey part of it, the points, and what comes out of it will be the most important," he said after Thursday morning's pre-game skate.

Detroit winger Patrick Kane—renowned for his tendency to shine in the sport's biggest stages—pointed out that there can be a risk of becoming overzealous ahead of this sort of high stakes, two-game set, again deferring focus back to his team's desired outcome in the standings.

"Sometimes you don't want to hype yourself up too much, but these are big games for us," Kane said Thursday morning.  "We're in a situation where Columbus is below us in the standings, and we're trying to create some separation."

His running mate Alex DeBrincat offered a similar message, saying, "You can either take a big step in the standings here these next two games or lose one, so we gotta come out hard.  Obviously first one at home is important, and we can move on from there."

It might not be able to match the frenetic pace or intensity of the 4 Nations, but make no mistake: There will be high stakes hockey Thursday night at LCA, between two wild card aspirants eager to stake their claim.

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Lineup Notes

Ahead of the evening's game, it looks as though Detroit will be sticking with a similar lineup to the one it deployed in Minnesota:

Michael Rasmussen (who missed the third period of Sunday's game against the Ducks, then the Wild game Tuesday) took part in morning skate but only in a limited capacity.  He did not take full part in line rushes, nor in the battle drills with which the session concluded.  After the skate, McLellan confirmed Rasmussen will not play Thursday, then said Detroit's medical staff will "see how he is for Saturday back in Columbus."

Cam Talbot was in the starter's net for the Red Wings and will be in line to get the start Thursday evening.

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