The Red Wings look to snap three-game skid when facing off against Blackhawks on Tuesday in preseason action.
The Detroit Red Wings will take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, looking to get back in the win column. They're at the end of a grueling stretch of games with five in six days that began last Thursday and wraps up with this matchup against Chicago. While the Red Wings opened strong with a commanding 5-2 win over the Sabres, they've since stumbled, dropping three straight games.
Their 2-1 loss to the Penguins on Monday night was a deflating setback. They came out flat, giving up a goal within the first four minutes and never fully recovered. They rolled out what was rumored to be their most dangerous second line featuring Marco Kasper, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, but the trio failed to generate any offense. To make matters worse, they were on the ice for both of Pittsburgh’s goals.
The Red Wings will have their hands full as the Blackhawks roll out a stacked lineup featuring rising star Connor Bedard, along with key names like Ryan Donato, Teuvo Teravainen, Michigan native Frank Nazar, and former Red Wing Tyler Bertuzzi. On the back end, top prospects Sam Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov will anchor the blue line, with regular starter Spencer Knight getting the nod in goal.
Detroit will look to respond with some of their top players back in the lineup with the return of captain Dylan Larkin and his winger Lucas Raymond. The duo has appeared in just one preseason game so far and hasn't played since last Thursday. Goaltender Cam Talbot will also return, having only played half a preseason game and remaining off the ice since Thursday.
Veteran winger Andrew Copp, who has played two preseason games but hasn't seen action since Saturday, will also slot back into the lineup alongside his potential linemates for the season in Michael Rasmussen and Mason Appleton, who did quite well in Detroit's 5-2 win over Buffalo last Thursday. The unit combined for two of the Red Wings' five goals on the night.
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A key storyline to follow is the emerging trends on the Detroit roster, especially which young players might crack the team for the first time. In several recent roster projections, including one by The Athletic’s Red Wings writer Max Bultman, 20-year-old winger Emmitt Finnie is highlighted as a strong candidate.
Bultman believes Finnie may have done enough to earn a spot and could even land on the top line alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. While Finnie hasn't matched the production of his standout preseason debut, where he notched a goal and an assist, he’s consistently generated scoring chances and will have another chance on Tuesday to show his worth to the coaching staff.
Challenging him for a top-line role is Elmer Söderblom, who is looking to redefine his place on the team after logging bottom-line minutes last season. The 6-foot-8 winger has been given multiple opportunities to prove himself in a top-line capacity and will return to the lineup Tuesday after sitting since last Friday. If he can deliver a strong performance, he could reinsert himself into the conversation for a top-line spot.
On the blueline, Axel Sandin-Pellikka is set to make his fifth appearance of the preseason. The former first-round pick from 2023 has delivered a mixed bag of performances defensively, posting an even rating through four games. Offensively, he’s shown flashes of potential, notching an assist and registering seven shots on goal. He's been logging heavy minutes, between 21 and 24 per game, while taking on a serious role that includes time on the power play, penalty kill, and more.
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