The Red Wings are taking their first road trip of the season, and they’re doing it with a new look in net. Daniil Tarasov will make his first start for Detroit on Saturday night against the Canadiens, after stepping in in relief in last night’s game and now being asked to handle consecutive nights.
Detroit enters at 1-3-0, while Montreal sits at 1-2-1 in this Atlantic Division matchup. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
ET, with coverage on NHL on DSN and 97.1 FM. The Canadiens are listed at -198, with the Red Wings at +164.
The biggest Detroit bright spot so far has been Viktor Arvidsson, who has scored three goals in his last three games and leads the club in goals this season. Rookie Michael Brandsegg-Nygard also gave the Wings a lift by scoring his first NHL goal in the loss to Seattle, and the hope inside the room is that goal gets him rolling.
Alex DeBrincat has been Detroit’s most consistent point producer. He has recorded a point in every game except the opener and leads the team in points. That puts him in a good spot against Jacob Fowler, who is getting the call after Sam Montembault was injured in practice earlier this week.
There’s also concern around Nate Danielson, who has had a quiet start aside from penalties. He’s averaging about nine minutes per game despite Detroit’s issues down the middle.
Injuries continue to shape the Red Wings’ lineup as well. Marco Kasper is out with an upper-body injury and is week-to-week, Mason Appleton is also week-to-week with an upper-body injury, and JT Compher will not play this weekend because of an undisclosed injury.
Detroit’s projected forward group has Lucas Raymond with Andrew Copp and Victor Arvidsson on the top line, DeBrincat with Emmitt Finnie and Brandsegg-Nygard on the second, Michael Rasmussen with Andrew Copp and Keegan Kolesar on the third, and Sheldon Dries centering Nate Danielson and Carter Mazur.
On the back end, the expected pairings are Albert Johansson with Moritz Seider, Ben Chiarot with Anton Johansson and Justin Faulk, and William Wallinder with Justin Faulk. The goalie situation lists Tarasov as the starter, with John Gibson backing up. Axel Sandin Pellikka, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Andreas Englund are the subs.
Montreal is also dealing with a makeshift setup in goal. The Canadiens are starting the third goalie on their depth chart for the second straight game, with Fowler in net and Jakub Dobes behind him.
The Canadiens will also get Kaiden Guhle back for his season debut after offseason abductor surgery. Their injury list includes Montembault with a lower-body injury, Ivan Demidov with a lower-body injury and unspecified issue, and Oliver Kapanen with a lower-body injury.
Montreal’s projected lines have Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky together up top. Chris Kreider skates with Alex Newhook and Josh Anderson, Zack Bolduc joins Phillip Danault and Alexandre Texier, and Jake Evans centers Kirby Dach. The defense pairs are Lane Hutson with Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson with Guhle, and Arber Xhekaj with Alexandre Carrier, with Adam Engstrund listed as well.
In Other News...
Red Wings Standings Chase Just Got Tougher In The Atlantic
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Detroit, meanwhile, made a pair of its own roster moves by activating forwards Chase Stillman and Carter Bear from the injured list and sending both to Grand Rapids. For the Red Wings, those transactions are more about keeping the pipeline moving than altering the NHL picture right away, but they underscore how quickly the standings chase can shift when rivals start getting healthier and depth pieces are being sorted out on both sides. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings May Already Have Another Goalie Worth Watching
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For a team always watching its goaltending pipeline, Postavas first two games have stood out even more because of how calm he has looked. The Griffins have won their last four home openers, and with Postava posting a 1.50 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage so far, there is at least a little more reason to pay attention every time he gets the crease. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Get A Tougher Canadiens Matchup Tonight
The Canadiens are getting a significant boost on the blue line tonight, and it comes at a time when theyve already been trying to sharpen the edges of their roster. Kaiden Guhle is set to make his season debut after missing the first four games following offseason surgery on his adductor muscle, and Montreal plans to slot him next to Mike Matheson against the Red Wings.
To make room for Guhles return, Montreal recently moved Jayden Struble out of the picture in a trade with Nashville for a 2027 second-round pick. For Detroit, it means the matchup suddenly looks a little stiffer on a night when the Canadiens can roll out a more complete defense and lean on a player theyve been waiting to get back. [Read more 🡒]