The Red Wings and Blues meet Saturday afternoon with both clubs still parked near the playoff line, and both carrying some momentum into the matchup.
Detroit enters at 6-4-3 and has gone 5-1-3 over its last nine. The Wings are one point out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, while St.
Louis sits just two points shy of a postseason position in the West. The Blues also bring in a 2-1-1 western road trip and are coming off a 4-1 win over Boston.
Puck drop is set for 1 p.m. ET, with the game on DSN and 97.1 FM.
DraftKings listed St. Louis at (-1.5, +220) and Detroit at (+1.5, -270).
For Detroit, Moritz Seider remains the engine on the blue line. Through the first 13 games, he leads Red Wings defensemen in assists (7), points (7), power-play points (3), shots (26), blocks (37) and average ice time (25.55). The Wings also lead all NHL teams in points by rookies with 5-12-17.
Victor Arvidsson is coming off a night that put him in rare company. He scored his first hat trick as a Red Wings player Thursday against Chicago, and it was his fourth career hat trick with a different team.
He previously did it with Boston, Los Angeles and Nashville. Only six players in NHL history have scored hat tricks with more franchises: Bill Guerin (6), Radim Vrbata (5), Brendan Shanahan (5), Tony McKegney (5), Ivan Boldirev (5) and Eddie Shack (5).
Todd McLellan said Friday that John Gibson will start in net. Daniil Tarasov will back him up. Detroit is 4-3-1 at home, and the team’s profile has been an interesting one so far: 26th in the NHL in scoring at 2.69 goals per game, but sixth in goals against at 2.77 per game.
The Wings also made a roster move, sending Axel Sandin-Pellikka to Grand Rapids and recalling Jacob Bernard-Docker. Detroit wants ASP to play heavy minutes in Grand Rapids as part of his development.
Up front, Carter Mazur is still looking for his first NHL goal. He has played 16 NHL games without scoring.
The projected Detroit lineup has Alex DeBrincat with Emmitt Finnie and Arvidsson, followed by Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond. Michael Rasmussen is slated to center J.T.
Compher and Nate Danielson, while Carter Mazur, Sheldon Dries and Keegan Kolesar are listed on the fourth line. On defense, the pairs are Ben Chiarot with Seider, Andreas Englund with Anton Johansson, and William Wallinder with Justin Faulk.
Detroit’s injury list includes Marco Kasper (upper body), Mason Appleton (upper body), both of whom could be back in 10 days, and Albert Johansson (undisclosed), who is likely to miss at least three more days.
St. Louis comes in with Dylan Holloway leading the club with 11 points, and the Blues’ power play has been a real strength at 25.7%, seventh-best in the NHL.
Their projected lineup features Jake Neighbours, Robert Thomas and Jimmy Snuggerud on the top line, then Pavel Buchnevich with Mason McTavish and Jonatan Berggren. Holloway is listed with Dalibor Dvorsky and Connor McMichael, while Alexey Toropchenko, Pius Suter and Aleksanteri Kaskimaki make up the fourth line.
The Blues’ defense pairs are Philip Broberg and Brandon Carlo, Cam Fowler and Colton Parayko, and Justin Barron and Adam Jiricek. In goal, Joel Hofer or Jordan Binnington is expected to get the nod.
St. Louis’ injury report includes Tyler Tucker (knee), Logan Mailloux (hand), Dillon Dube (neck) and Ross Johnston (lower body).
In Other News...
Red Wings Icon Takes Rare Public Stand In Russia Hockey Debate
Nicklas Lidstrom rarely wades into political arguments around the sport, but the Red Wings vice president of hockey operations and an advisor to the Swedish Hockey Federation has taken a clear position after the Court of Arbitration for Sport annulled the IIHFs ban on Russia. With the IIHF expected to appeal, the debate has quickly shifted from a legal ruling to what national federations should do next if Russia is cleared to return to international competition.
For Lidstrom, the response should start with a boycott of international events if Russia is allowed back in. His former teammate Viacheslav Fetisov, now a member of the Russian State Duma, wants Russia back on the world stage too, though only if it competes under its own national symbols rather than as neutral athletes. For a hockey dispute that reaches well beyond the rink, those are two very different lines in the sand. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Have A John Gibson Problem They Cant Ignore
A late collapse in St. Louis turned what looked like a solid road win into another frustrating night for Detroit, and it put John Gibson back under the microscope. The Red Wings carried a two-goal lead into the third period before the Blues stormed back with three unanswered goals, a burst that quickly flipped the game and left Detroit searching for answers after another missed opportunity.
Gibson was in net for the unraveling and gave up five goals on 15 shots, a line that will naturally draw attention whenever a game gets away from a team that expects more stability in goal. Still, the Red Wings are hoping this is just a rough outing rather than a sign of something bigger, because the version of Gibson they need is the one who looked far more like himself last season. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Should Brace For A New Twist In The Larkin Standoff
Dylan Larkins standoff with the Red Wings has already taken a sharp turn, and now there may be another one coming. Detroit suspended the center without pay after he said he would not play for the team again, and the organization has made clear it views him as finished in Detroit. For now, Larkins trade list includes 10 teams, but not every club on it is a realistic landing spot because of salary-cap limits and the cost in assets it would take to make a deal work.
Elliotte Friedman added another layer to the situation by reporting that the list itself could change within the next 24 to 48 hours. That kind of fluidity only adds to the uncertainty around where this goes next, especially with some teams already looking like long shots as trade partners. For Red Wings fans, the story is no longer just about whether Larkin moves, but about how quickly the market around him could shift before anything becomes concrete. [Read more 🡒]