A shuffling of the lines, a healthy if not 100% Jake Walman, Klim Kostin scratched, Alex Lyon starts, a look at the struggling Devils, and everything else you need to know before Detroit-New Jersey
A shuffling of the lines, a healthy if not 100% Jake Walman, Klim Kostin scratched, Alex Lyon starts, a look at the struggling Devils, and everything else you need to know before Detroit-New Jersey
Tonight, on the eve of Thankgiving, the Detroit Red Wings will play their first game since returning from a disappointing trip to Sweden—hosting the New Jersey Devils at Little Caesars Arena.
It might seem like a fresh start for the Red Wings after a five-day layoff, but defenseman Moritz Seider doesn't see it that way:
"I think we're right back at it," Seider told The Hockey News. "We have a unique situation for all of us playing two games in 11 days, and obviously the outcome wasn't as we expected, but I think if we just see those games in a different way, we should be really happy down the stretch with a four-goal comeback [against Ottawa] to get a road point there. I think that's something we probably would've built momentum off, and so I think we're right back at it."
Here's everything you need to know ahead of tonight's game:
Line Shuffling in a Bid to Spark Some Momentum
-The Red Wings debuted new lines for yesterday's practice (the team's first since returning from Sweden), and they remained in place for this morning's skate:
This alignment would be the first time all season (stretching all the way back to training camp) that Dylan Larkin has not played on a line with Alex DeBrincat. Meanwhile, the top line of DeBrincat, Larkin, and Lucas Raymond had stuck together throughout the regular season until practice yesterday.
The line-up also separates Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher onto their own lines (as centers), after that duo spent the majority of the season to date combining forces on what had become the Red Wings' match-up line.
When asked to explain the tinkering, coach Derek Lalonde said yesterday, "we wanted to elevate [Joe] Veleno and [Michael Rasmussen], just having their legs up a little bit on the wing." He also mentioned that he intended to roll with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for tonight's game and therefore expects a healthy amount of in-game shuffling in the forward combinations.
Both Compher and Alex DeBrincat spoke about their belief that the Red Wings' depth naturally invites a number of different options amongst the forward group.
"I think that we have a lot of good forwards," Compher told The Hockey News. "We have a deep forward group that a lot of guys can play with a lot of different guys, and that's good. It's a long season, and you're gonna have times where the lines get switched up a little bit. I think playing with Alex will be super fun. He's a very skilled, super hard-working guy, [and] a high-end goal scorer. We had Mike [Rasmussen] with us today. Mike's such a hard worker. He does the right things—goes to the net, wins battles. Those are truly guys I'd be excited to play with, but, like I said, there's a lot of good forwards in our group. There's no there's no bad combination."
"Sometimes you gotta change things up," said DeBrincat. "I think we have so much depth down the line-up that it doesn't matter who you play with. It's just a different look and [I'll] try to gain some new chemistry with these guys."
-Klim Kostin will be the scratch tonight, with Lalonde clarifying that his omission from the line-up is not about performance but rather an internal disciplinary matter. "It's over," said Lalonde, stressing that it was a minor violation of team rules. "Klim's been a huge part of our process. It was a minor situation, was not malicious by any means, but it's us still trying to get to a certain standard."
-The good news for the Red Wings is that Jake Walman will be available after an injury scare in Friday's loss to the Maple Leafs. Per Lalonde, Walman isn't quite back to 100% health, but he believes that having seven D in the line-up can help insulate Walman as he returns to action.
Lyon Starts in Goal
In goal, Alex Lyon will start for the Red Wings with Ville Husso serving as his back-up.
After his excellent performance for Detroit against the Maple Leafs in Sweden (albeit in a losing effort), Derek Lalonde said of the Yale product, "it hasn't really changed for us in the fact that we're confident with Alex. It might change in the fact that we would be very confident playing him again, possibly soon."
Soon, it turns out means tonight, but Lalonde also pointed out that tonight's starting duties are not a reflection of a wholesale change to the goaltending depth chart. Instead, Lalonde wanted starter Ville Husso to get more practice time after his mini-paternity leave while the Red Wings were in Sweden.
It does appear, however, that at least for now Lyon has leapt in front of James Reimer in the goaltending rotation.
Devils Sputtering as They Arrive in Detroit
After winning a playoff series last spring for the first time since their 2012 run to the Stanley Cup Final, the New Jersey Devils entered the '23-24 season with Cup aspirations.
Through 16 games, things haven't quite gone according to that plan. Entering tonight's game, the Devils are 8-7-1 and sixth in the Metropolitan Division, on the outside looking in if the playoffs were to begin today. To make matters worse, New Jersey has lost four of its last five, most recently a 5-3 defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers.
Whatever might ail the Devils it isn't talismanic forward Jack Hughes, who is off to a banner start to the season with 22 points in 11 games. His running mate Jesper Bratt has been even more productive with eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points to open the season.
The Devils can boast the NHL's top power play entering tonight's action, converting at a remarkable 39.0%.
Per Lalonde, the Red Wings will need to double down on their penalty-killing details to stand up to that test—from face-offs to clearances to taking the right routes. "Our face-off percentage on the penalty kill is extremely low," said Lalonde. "That puts a lot of burden on ya." Because New Jersey's PP has been so potent, "any time we get that kill, it's a huge momentum opportunity for us," Lalonde added.
Defensively, however, New Jersey is fourth worst in the league by goals-against-per-game at 3.81, ahead of only Edmonton, Minnesota, and lowly San Jose. As the Red Wings look to re-discover their offensive groove, tonight appears a prime opportunity.
Where to Watch
Tonight's game (a 7:00 PM start) will be broadcast by Bally Sports Detroit—available on television on BSD as well as the Bally Sports Detroit+ app for cord-cutters. For out-of-market fans, the game will be streaming from its familiar joint home of ESPN+ and Hulu.
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