The Detroit Red Wings will host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday evening in what has now become a critical tilt with several postseason implications on the line.
The last time that the Detroit Red Wings took on the Montreal Canadiens at Little Caesars Arena, things didn't work out so well for the host Red Wings.
By the time the first period was over, the Red Wings had not only surrendered multiple odd-man rushes but allowed Montreal to score three times en route to what was an eventual 5-1 victory.
The good news is that Detroit was able to figure Montreal out in their next matchup in Quebec, a 4-0 Red Wings win on January 10.
But their third and final matchup of the season takes place at a most critical time for the Red Wings, who trail the Canadiens by two points in the standings in the ultra-tight Atlantic Division standings.
For the Red Wings, their season-opening setback against the Canadiens serves as a blueprint for avoiding a similar fate.
"We've gotta stay above them," said Alex DeBrincat on how to counter Montreal's quick and active forwards. "I think that first game of the year, we made a lot of mistakes, and it was kind of maybe a good thing that we learned from early. I thought we played better when we went into their building, so hopefully we can play more of that game than our first game."
"They're a fast, skilled team," he continued. "We know they want to get behind us, and they can make plays on that, so I think for the most part, staying above their forwards and making them go through five guys will be tough on them."
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The Red Wings didn’t receive any help from around the NHL on Tuesday night.
Not only did the Columbus Blue Jackets defeat the Metropolitan Division–leading Carolina Hurricanes, but both the Canadiens and the Boston Bruins also picked up a point in Montreal’s overtime victory.
Detroit currently occupies the second and final Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference, tied in points with the Bruins and two points behind Montreal, currently in third place in the Atlantic Division.
"Every point is big now, the whole East is pretty close right now," DeBrincat continued. "We need to find a way to try and win some games and pull away a little bit, and hopefully we can play some good games at home here and go on from there."
While the Red Wings will remain shorthanded without team captain Dylan Larkin, head coach Todd McLellan said there's no choice but to continue with the players available and apply the standard that helped make them successful.
"All the work we've put in this year puts us in a spot where we have to continue to apply our game," McLellan said. "We've had to make adjustments due to injuries, but throw our best game out there night after night, and we're in control."
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