Everything you need to know ahead of tonight's matchup between the Red Wings and Jets in Winnipeg
Everything you need to know ahead of tonight's matchup between the Red Wings and Jets in Winnipeg
Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings (15-12-4) will take on the Winnipeg Jets (18-9-3) at the Canada Life Centre in the Manitoban capital. For the visitors (who have lost three straight and six of seven), the imperative is obvious.
"We gotta get our game back in order," said coach Derek Lalonde yesterday, before the team set off for Winnipeg. "Obviously, we've lost our identity a little bit with this stretch. I think it's on all of us with an opportunity tomorrow. We'll preach some things to try to be a little bit better as a group, but it's on us to get this in order."
Here's everything you need to know ahead of tonight's game.
Reimer Set to Start as Detroit Seeks Energy
With Ville Husso and Alex Lyon both on the shelf injured, James Reimer will start in goal for the Red Wings.
Detroit did not practice Tuesday, but on Monday night against the Ducks, Lalonde tinkered with his forward combinations throughout the game as his team chased an early deficit and navigated yet more injuries. When asked Monday what he sought out of that process of mixing and matching, Lalonde replied "energy, probably a spark."
"We just lacked it last night, and unfortunately, the times we got energy was off a goal, and those are hard to come by in the league, and you can't wait on just scoring," he continued. "You saw the Petry goal with [Robby Fabbri] going hard to the net. Our next four minutes were good. Obviously, the push we had in the end came off power play goals, so you gotta find it different ways.
"I thought we had a couple blocked shots toward the end of the first period that could've gave us a spark, and then we go ahead and take a penalty the very next shift. We end up killing four straight minutes at the end, and they end up making it a 3-0 deficit at the end off that power play goal. We need to find it through different ways, and we haven't done that of late."
Amidst that tinkering, Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat—regulars on the same line in the former's first days in the Winged Wheel—spent just 1:49 on the ice at five-on-five. When asked about the choice to split that duo, Lalonde explained, "I think they reflect the rest of our team. There's some detail in their game [that isn't quite dialed in]. You don't get practice time, and things do get loose. The most novice hockey mind can see us looping all over the ice and not stopping on plays...Those first two goals against was the old fashioned loop and hope instead of edging up, and that's kind of detail we're going to be talking about needing starting tomorrow, and I think those guys reflect it a little bit."
As Detroit looks to rediscover its rhythm north of the border, it will be worth monitoring whether Lalonde seeks to spur his sputtering attack with Kane and DeBrincat together or apart.
Connor-less Jets Flying High
As Winnipeg prepares to host the visiting Red Wings, the Jets—currently third in the Central Division—have won six of their last eight games.
However, 10 days ago, the Jets lost their best player, Kyle Connor (whose 17 goals had him in Rocket Richard contention), to a knee-on-knee hit from the Ducks' Ryan Strome. Connor was placed on injured reserve, expected to miss six-to-eight weeks.
It was a play Dylan Larkin referred to yesterday as he questions the NHL's commitment to player safety. Since Connor's injury, Winnipeg is 2-2, with losses to San Jose and Montreal sandwiching wins against Los Angeles and Colorado.
Heavy forechecking teams have caused problems for the Red Wings throughout the season, and the Jets certainly check that box, as they showed in their win at Little Caesars Arena in the season's early days.
Kyle Connor notched a goal in that game, but it was a different Connor who made the biggest difference in Detroit's defeat, with Connor Hellebuyck making 35 saves on 36 shots to keep the Red Wings at bay.
However, this time around, back-up Laurent Brossoit will spell Hellebuyck in the Winnipeg crease. Though Brossoit can't quite match Hellebuyck's imperious .916 save percentage and 2.43 goals against average, he is no slouch at a .909 SV% and a 2.57 GAA.
Where to Watch
This evening's game (a 7:30 puck drop) will be broadcast by Bally Sports Detroit. For out of town fans, it can be found in its usual joint homes—Hulu and ESPN+.
Also from THN Detroit
Injury Update: Larkin Progressing, Kostin Back, Compher Likely, Fischer Takes a Maintenance Day
Carolina Dominates as Husso Helps Detroit Hang Around: Red Wings-Hurricanes Statistical Review
Red Wings 1, Hurricanes 2: Carolina Smothers Larkin-less Red Wings