Notes on Detroit's D corps, Jonatan Berggren, Albert Johansson, and everything else you need to know before tonight's game between the Red Wings & Penguins The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins have challenged a lot since meeting on the season's opening night at Little Caesars Arena, back in early October. Though they won that night, the Penguins have moved past their early season woes and found success as a high octane offensive outfit. Meanwhile, the Red Wings are in the midst of their own reinvention under new coach Todd McLellan. Oct 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) brings the puck up ice against Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot (8) during the first period at Little Caesars Arena [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNzkwNDA4MjA2Nzg4NTg0/usatsi_24458954.jpg] Oct 10, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) brings the puck up ice against Detroit Red Wings defenseman Ben Chiarot (8) during the first period at Little Caesars Arena Expect to see a similar lineup from Todd McLellan's side to the one with which they beat the Capitals Sunday evening: It's early yet to evaluate McLellan's vision for Detroit's roster, but one notable change he's made has been to the Red Wing D corps, destabilizing the Simon Edvinsson-Mortiz Seider & Ben Chiarot-Jeff Petry top four the team used for most of the season before McLellan's arrival. The new coach has blended those pairings, placing Chiarot with Seider and Edvinsson with Petry. After this morning's skate, he explained that choice as follows: > "It balances some things out a little bit. It takes some pressure off two of > the younger plays. It sends a signal to Chiarot and to Petry—right now those > are the next two in the line—that we value them, but we also expect a lot from > them. It's just not on two kids. But also, with Mo and Simon, it's just not > gifted to them. It's still an earning process...It also allows us to look at > them in different combinations. A lot of the games that [new assistant coach] > Trent [Yawney] and I have been watching, they've played as pairs. So we, from > a distance, have been able to watch them play. We haven't seen the pairs that > we're using very much, because we just went to them." - 23-year-old rookie Albert Johansson has yet to feature in the lineup for McLellan, a decision the coach explained as being a side effect of the flux of his arrival rather than an indictment of Johansson's game: > "It's not Albert Johansson right now. It's the new coaches just trying to > figure some things out, so Albert's gonna get an opportunity, and when he > goes, it'll be up to us to figure everything out. We're just gonna ask him to > go play his game, and I can't tell you what I need to see from him, because I > don't know him as a player. It wouldn't be fair to him or to me. He's not > out of the lineup because he hasn't played well or anything like that. It's > just the coaches are trying to figure out some players right now, and he will > get his chance." - Alex Lyon will tend goal this evening for the Red Wings. I spoke more about what to look out for tonight in the featured video above. WHERE TO WATCH Tonight's game is scheduled for a late start: 8 pm puck drop (to accommodate the NHL's exclusive window for the Winter Classic at 5). It will be on its usual broadcast homes: FanDuel Sports Network (app and television channel) for in-market fans, ESPN+/Hulu for out-of-market fans, and 97.1 The Ticket on the radio. 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