Make sure to follow Mark on Twitter!
The Detroit Red Wings return to action tonight looking to rebound after Sunday night’s disappointing 3-2 shootout loss to the overmatched Buffalo Sabres. Standing in the way of the Red Wigns are a pair of games on consecutive nights against a divisional foe in the Ottawa Senators and an Original Six matchup against last season’s defending Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers.
Despite the shootout loss in western New York over the weekend, the Wings continue to produce results as they garnered a point in their 9th game out of 11 thus far this season. In addition to the strong play of the NHL’s second star of the week,
Pavel Datsyuk, the Red Wings also welcomed back the return of the “Mule”,
Johan Franzen.
Having missed six games with a groin injury, he played over 16 minutes in his return to action on Sunday night. His return comes at just the right time for the Wings, as Franzen has a great track record against the Senators, with 11 goals in his past four games in Ottawa -- a run that includes his five-goal outburst back in February of 2011. It is interesting to note, the Red Wings won each of those contests. The Red Wings have encountered considerable good fortune in Ottawa, where they are undefeated in their last four trips -- including two wins by a 10-3 margin last season in their first season as Atlantic Division rivals.
Defenseman
Kyle Quincey, who missed the game in Buffalo with an ankle injury, skated on Monday but is not expected to play tonight.
Stephen Weiss (groin) is also improving after a setback during his conditioning stint last week in Grand Rapids. He is expected to slowly begin skating this week in the hopes of avoiding further issues.
Jimmy Howard makes his fourth consecutive start for the Red Wings. He owns a sparkling 1.95 GAA this season and has picked up a point for Detroit in eight of his nine starts.
Meanwhile, the Senators are not in a great mood as they have gone 1-2-2 over their past 5 games after a strong 4-1 start to the campaign. Their upcoming four-game homestand beginning tonight within a compressed six day window is being seen as a measuring stick for the hockey club to see where they stack up in the tough Atlantic Division.
Craig Anderson will be looking to turn aside Detroit's attack, with his .934 save percentage ranking him among the league leaders. Unfortunately for Ottawa, the Senators are allowing 35.9 shots per game, among the most in the NHL.
Here are the expected forward lines and defensive pairings for tonight's contest:
DETROIT RED WINGS
Abdelkader – Datsyuk – Zetterberg
Nyquist– Sheahan - Tatar
Franzen – Helm - Jurco
Miller – Glendening – Andersson
Kronwall - Ericsson
Smith - DeKeyser
Lashoff – Kindl
Howard
(Gustavsson)
Quincey (ankle)
Weiss (groin)
Nestrasil (scratch)
Cleary (scratch)
OTTAWA SENATORS
Clarke MacArthur - Kyle Turris - Bobby Ryan
Milan Michalek - Mika Zibanejad - Erik Condra
Zack Smith - David Legwand - Chris Neil
Mike Hoffman - Curtis Lazar - Mark Stone
Chris Phillips - Erik Karlsson
Jared Cowen - Cody Ceci
Patrick Wiercioch - Eric Gryba
Anderson
(Lehner)
Mark Borowiecki (undisclosed injury)
Alex Chiasson (undisclosed injury)
Marc Methot (back/hip)
Colin Greening (scratch)
Andrew Hammond (scratch)
[email protected]
Previous Posts
Wings jump on Kings early
Kronwall leads Red Wing comeback over the Pens
GAMEDAY: Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs, Babcock mania begins in Toronto
GAMEDAY: Bruins vs. Red Wings; Petry a possible trade target?
GAMEDAY - Season Opener! Bruins vs. Red Wings
Roster movement almost complete
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»