The Red Wings get the Blackhawks tonight in Detroit with both teams carrying very different kinds of momentum into the matchup.
Detroit is 5-4-3 and has steadied itself after a rougher stretch, going 4-1-3 in its last eight games. That run includes a 2-1-1 trip out west, and Todd McLellan’s club enters the night three points off a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings sit 21st in the NHL, while Chicago checks in at 31st in the 32-team league.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+/97.1 FM. DraftKings has Chicago at (+1.5, -170) and Detroit at (-1.5, +142).
One of the night’s main storylines is Patrick Kane’s return to Little Caesars Arena. The former Red Wing is back with the Blackhawks, who gave him a two-year deal worth $8 million per season.
Chicago originally drafted Kane, and he was part of three Stanley Cup championship series there. Detroit is expected to run a video tribute for him during the game.
Kane has been productive lately, with five points in his last five games, and he leads the Blackhawks with eight points. He’s also one assist away from becoming the 21st player to reach 900 assists in his career.
Chicago also comes in with a few other notable numbers. Spencer Knight leads the NHL with 94 high-danger saves, and rookie Roman Kantserov paces all NHL rookies with five goals. Bowen Byram is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
The Blackhawks’ projected top line features Roman Kantserov with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene. Tyler Bertuzzi is listed with Anton Frondell and Ryan Donato, while Kane is slotted on the third line alongside Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar.
Cole Smith, Jordan Greenway and Teuvo Teravainen round out the fourth line. On defense, Chicago is projected to go with Alex Vlasic and Ian Cole, Wyatt Kaiser and Artyom Levshunov, and Kevin Korchinski with Sam Rinzel.
Spencer Knight is expected in goal, with Arvid Soderblom backing him up.
Detroit’s recent stretch has been helped by Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, whose 11 hits against Edmonton underscored how quickly he’s becoming a real Calder Trophy candidate. He has eight points, 28 shots on goal, 54 hits and a plus-nine rating. At the other end of the roster picture, defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka sat out the last three games on the road trip as a healthy scratch and has appeared in seven of Detroit’s 12 games.
The Red Wings are 3-3-1 at home, and their offense has been a work in progress. They rank 26th in the league at 2.58 goals per game, though the power play has been better at 15th overall at 21.4 percent.
Detroit’s injury list includes Marco Kasper, who is week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Mason Appleton, who could be back in a couple of weeks, and Albert Johansson, whose return date is still unclear. Daniil Tarasov, who has been practicing with an undisclosed injury, is expected to be cleared today.
The projected Detroit lineup has Alex DeBrincat with Emmitt Finnie and Victor Arvidsson, Brandsegg-Nygard alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, Michael Rasmussen with Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher, and Carter Mazur with Nate Danielson and Keegan Kolesar.
The defense pairings are listed as Ben Chiarot with Moritz Seider, Andreas Englund or Axel Sandin-Pellikka with Anton Johansson, and William Wallinder with Justin Faulk.
John Gibson is the probable starter in net for Detroit, with Tarasov as the backup if he’s cleared. The roster notes also list Andreas Englund and Alek Sandin-Pellikka among the subs.
In Other News...
Red Wings Bottom-Six Problem Is Forcing A Jesse Kiiskinen Conversation
The early-season math has already started to pressure Detroits forward group, and the biggest concern is down the lineup. At 5-4-3 with a minus-4 goal differential, the Red Wings have been just good enough to stay in the mix, but their bottom six has not pulled its weight, with only 11 points combined from that part of the roster. That kind of production usually forces a front office to start looking for answers beyond the NHL club, especially when there is a younger option in the system already making noise.
Jesse Kiiskinen has put himself into that conversation with his strong start in the AHL, giving Detroit a potential spark if it decides the lineup needs a shake-up. The challenge is that any move up front will not happen in a vacuum, because the Red Wings are also dealing with injured players working their way back into the picture. That means the question is not just whether Kiiskinen deserves a look, but how the team would make room if it decides the bottom-six needs a jolt. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Suddenly Face Another Lineup Test Up Front
The lineup shuffle around the Red Wings keeps rolling, and this time it is giving Detroit a little more reason to look ahead. Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton are both trending toward returns in a couple of weeks after injuries that have kept them out since the season opener and second game, respectively, while the blue line took another hit with Albert Johansson now sidelined.
For a team trying to keep its depth intact, the timing matters because the East keeps asking for healthy bodies every night. The Red Wings have already had to manage injuries at both ends of the lineup, and even with some help potentially coming soon, there is still another absence to sort through before the next game and beyond. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Face An Ugly Dylan Larkin Standoff
Dylan Larkins offseason situation has settled into an uncomfortable holding pattern for the Red Wings, with the captain still in Detroit while trade conversations continue behind the scenes. Larkin requested a trade earlier in the offseason, and the list of teams he would accept a move to has reportedly grown to 10, a sign that the process has been active even if nothing has broken through yet.
Recent talks have taken place between Larkins camp and the team, and Detroit is expected to address the situation publicly at some point soon. For now, the franchise is left navigating a delicate standoff around one of its most important players, with the direction of the next step still hanging over the organization. [Read more 🡒]