Everything you need to know ahead of tonight's game between the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators
Tonight at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, the Red Wings (14-7-4) will play host to the visiting Ottawa Senators (10-11-0).
These two sides last got together in Sweden on November 16th, with the Sens blowing a 4-0 lead only to claim a 5-4 victory in overtime on the strength of a baseball-style goal from talismanic centerman Tim Stutzle.
In the games leading up to Detroit's Sweden trip, getting off to good starts was a major focal point, as the Red Wings seemed temporarily incapable of getting an early lead. The early deficit and eventual loss to Ottawa only reinforced that sense.
As the Senators and Detroit reunite tonight, the shoe is on the opposite foot, and the Red Wings are struggling to finish games despite establishing early leads. In Montreal last Saturday and in Buffalo on Tuesday, Detroit got away with blown third period leads, but against the Sharks Thursday, the Red Wings squandered a 4-0 advantage, then a 5-4 third period lead in what became a 6-5 OT loss.
To coach Derek Lalonde, whether it's starts or finishes that ail his team, the broader issue is a need for complete 60-minute performances. Because of a lack of top-end star power, Lalonde believes his team can ill-afford to coast and rely on a superstar to push them over the top; instead, it needs consistent engagement over the course of each night.
"We are what we are," he said after yesterday's practice. "We've had a lot of success this year. We're obviously way overachieving for everyone's perception of what this team was going to be. And I just think we have to be on our toes and on top of our game all the time. Is that fair? Probably not over 82 games, but if we want to be successful, that's how it's going to have to look. We can't take the gas off. Many [contending] teams in this league can. Not us."
To Alex DeBrincat, the chaotic nature of Thursday's second period and 4-0 lead obscured other issues within Detroit's game.
"There was a couple minutes there where it got a little out of hand, but we did a lot of things [negatively] to kinda lead up to that," the winger told The Hockey News Thursday. "We weren't strong with the puck, we weren't doing the little things right, and I think we had a 4-0 lead, but [Ville Husso] kept it a 0-0 game. We gave up way too many chances in the first, and it's a lot of things that compile and then they finally get the bounce. We gotta be better throughout the whole game, and obviously they score four goals in a certain amount of times, but there were a lot of things that led up to that. I don't think we were very focused at the start of the game."
Defenseman Jeff Petry believes the Red Wings have allowed themselves to lose sight of the style of play that makes them successful during their recent late-game struggles, but he takes pleasure in the fact that the busy schedule provides a rapid opportunity at redemption.
"We're getting away from what we've done early in games, and when it's given us success is playing behind, making them play that 200-foot game, making it hard for them," Petry told THN Thursday. "Puck possession, puck play that we kinda just slide away from for five, ten minutes, and it's coming to bite us. You take that out of last night, and you're playing every other night, so you have a chance to right the ship tomorrow."
Nov 16, 2023; Stockholm, SWE; Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub (2) and Detroit Red Wings left wing Lucas Raymond (23) battle for position during a Global Series NHL hockey game at Avicii Arena. Compher Out, Other Lineup Uncertainties, Lyon Starts
Though he took morning skate (wearing a gray non-contact jersey, as he had at Friday's practice), J.T. Compher will miss his second consecutive game this evening.
As a result, Lalonde said to expect a "similar" lineup to the one his team used on Thursday.
Lalonde did, however, offer the qualifier that Detroit will have several game-time decisions with respect to availability to address, saying "like everyone else this time of year, we're going through a little sickness and some bumps and bruises. It'll literally be a post warm-up [decision] on whether a couple guys can go."
Alex Lyon (.947 SV%, 1.61 GAA for the season) will get the nod in net for the Red Wings.
Hall-of-Famer Mike Vernon to be Honored
The Red Wings will be honoring their latest Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Mike Vernon.
Vernon backstopped the '97 Red Wings to the first of two successive Stanley Cups, earning the Conn Smythe for his dominant effort in the crease. Over that playoff run, Vernon went 16-4 with a .927 save percentage and 1.76 goals against average. However, he is perhaps better remembered for scrapping with Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy at the infamous Fight Night at the Joe.
Lalonde—himself a goaltender in his playing days—mentioned he had a chance to meet Vernon on Friday, noting that the newly inducted Hall of Famer "wasn't really happy about the 11 goals the other, but we had a good laugh about that."
Sens Looking to Discover Sustained Post-Sweden Rhythm
Ottawa is 3-4-0 in its seven games since last playing the Red Wings. They beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in their second game in Sweden, only to lose three in a row upon returning to North America. They followed up that losing skid with back-to-back wins over the Kraken and Rangers but fell 4-3 in Toronto on Thursday night. In other words, the Senators have struggled to find a rhythm in the days since their sweeping their way through Sweden.
One aspect of their game that has remained consistent throughout a turbulent start to the year is Stutzle. He is pacing the team in points with 25 (five goals and 20 assists).
The Ottawa lines at this morning's skate were as follows:
Joonas Korpisalo (.897 SV%, 3.41 GAA for the season) is expected to start in goal.
Where to Watch
Tonight's game (a 7:00 PM start) will be back on Bally Sports Detroit. For local cord-cutters, that means it will also be available on BSD+, while out-of-market fans can find the game on ESPN+ or Hulu.