
"I like the fact that we're playing the same opponent," said Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde yesterday, reflecting on Monday night's defeat in New York and looking ahead to this evening's game against the Rangers at Little Caesars Arena. "And I like the fact that it's a really good opponent that's extremely well coached and strong in all three areas of their game. This is gonna challenge us to up our game."
As for what he's looking for from the group, Lalonde isn't worried about structure full stop but rather the dependability within that structure. As he put it this morning, "I don't know if it's so much structure as consistency in your structure. You look at bits and parts of that Nashville game, you look at bits and parts of our New York game last game, our five-on-five structure, some things we wanted to accomplish within our D zone, within our neutral zone that are good, but I think it's consistency with it."
Here's everything you need to know ahead of tonight's action:
-A day after Vladimir Tarasenko missed practice, with Lalonde describing him as "under the weather," he was back for this morning's skate, but Andrew Copp and Dylan Larkin were absent. Lalonde explained that the Red Wings have a bit of a bug going around the locker room, so thought it prudent to hold Copp and Larkin out this morning, but both, along with Tarasenko, will be in the line-up tonight. Fischer replaces Austin Watson in an otherwise unchanged lineup from Monday night.
Jeff Petry, however, remains on his way back to full health and will remain out of the lineup. On the back end, Erik Gustafsson will fold in for Albert Johansson, while the other five defensemen (Moritz Seider, Ben Chiarot, Simon Edvinsson, Olli Maatta, and Justin Holl) from Monday night's game will retain their positions. With his performances on Saturday against the Predators and on Monday night against the Rangers, Holl earned his way into a longer look at the NHL level. Lalonde said that "100%" Holl's play in the last two games reasserted his place in the Red Wings' short-term plans. "He has played well, and I really liked his game in New York, considering the challenges those match-ups can be on the road, so 100% he's earned it," added Lalonde, before noting that Holl would be in the lineup this evening regardless of Petry's health.
For Detroit, Cam Talbot will get his second start of the season in goal, looking to build on Saturday night's shutout against Nashville. His 41-save effort, along with 31 blocked shots from the skaters in front of him, propelled the Red Wings to victory.
-On the Rangers' side of the ledger, the lineup is as follows:
Jonathan Quick is expected to start in goal for the Rangers, so it appears they will get a reprieve in the form of a back-up after an Igor Shesterkin masterclass Monday night in New York.
Tonight's game (a scheduled 7:30 PM puck drop) is a streaming exclusive for in and out-of-market fans. That is to say, if you'd like to watch tonight's game, you have one option masquerading as two: ESPN+ or Hulu, both of which require a paid subscription, though those subscriptions can be bundled. The game will not be available on Bally Sports Detroit, but radio enthusiasts will be able to listen to on its usual radio home, 97.1 The Ticket.