Detroit Red Wings: Nashville Predators invade LCA tonight
By Bob Heyrman
The going gets tough and tough gets tougher. The Detroit Red Wings have to deal with a Stanley Cup contending Nashville Predators team tonight.
The Detroit Red Wings are doing anything but welcoming in the Preds tonight. A defensive core that is admired across the entire league, something we can only reminisce about here in Motown. They don’t have a Nicklas Lidstrom or anything but let’s face he was a once in a generation talent.
They may not have him, but they have a cast of defenders that as a group could be compared to just about any other team in recent memory. This is an extremely talented group on the backend led by captain Roman Josi. The group also includes the standout, slick skating, rocket point blasting boyfriend of Lindsay Vonn, P.K Subban.
Subban has been limited by injury to a mere 22 games so far this season. He has 2 goals and 10 helpers. Josi on the other hand, has been healthy and a workhorse. His 29 points are good for second on the Preds.
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Local folks will remember former Windsor Spitfire great Ryan Ellis; he has 4 goals and 14 assists totaling 18 points in 41 games this season. He is a plus 5 on the season. Mattias Ekholm is probably the least talked about of the four defensemen I’ve mentioned thus far. He is third on the team in points. He has 25 points, including 3 goals in 40 games and is a plus 15 on the season.
Superstar forward Filip Forsberg, no relation to Peter has been hampered with injuries this season limiting him to 26 games. Although being sidelined for basically half of the season, he has 14 goals and 22 points. He’s a point per game player and will only get better. He is close to returning but isn’t expected to play tonight. Kyle Turris is also on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
The Pred’s were so deep on defense they were able to trade a talent like Seth Jones to the Blue Jackets three seasons ago for center Ryan Johansen. You don’t see a star for star deal too often, but that’s exactly what that deal was. Johansen leads the Preds in points this season with 35. His assist totals over the last few seasons suggest he is primarily a set-up man. He has 28 helpers this season.
This team has been built from the net out. Veteran netminder Pekka Rinne is searching for a Stanley Cup, and he’s having another fabulous season in goal. Through 28 starts this season Rinne has posted a 2.26 goals against average and a .920% save percentage.
With a top goaltender and four terrific defenders, the Preds create offense from the backend forward. The scary thing is they have the ability to shut things down after they obtain a lead. The Preds, unlike the Detroit Red Wings, possess a plus 30 total goal differential on the season. The Wings are minus 27 on the season.
These are certainly not the David Legwand, Martin Erat led Preds we use to beat up over the years. This team is legit, and are built for a cup run especially if they can stay healthy.
Although we are banged up on defense, we have some good news for once. The Detroit Red Wings will get Anthony Mantha back tonight which should help them a bit offensively and on the power-play. In his return he will play on the second line with Vanek and Nielsen.
This gives the Wings two dangerous lines. It may be top heavy, but I suspect double-A to skate with Larks and Gus as the top line. This also builds a third line that can be physical and tough to play against. This will allow Abby to skate with players he should gel with and as a bottom six forward, a role in which suites him better. Let’s have a look;
The Detroit Red Wings projected lineup;
Tyler Bertuzzi – Dylan Larkin (A) – Gustav Nyquist
Thomas Vanek – Frans Nielsen (A) – Anthony Mantha
Andreas Athanasiou – Luke Glendening – Michael Rasmussen
Justin Abdelkader (A) – Jacob de La Rose– Darren Helm
Niklas Kronwall (A) – Nick Jensen
Dennis Cholowski – Luke Witkowski
Jonathan Ericsson – Filip Hronek
Healthy Scratch: Christoffer Ehn, Martin Frk, Brian Lashoff
Injuries: Mike Green (lower-body), Danny DeKesyer (Hand), Trevor Daley (lower-body), Evgeny Svechnikov (knee)
Next. The Struggle continues for a former Detroit Red Wings forward. dark
Game Information:
Detroit Red Wings 15-20-7 vs. Nashville Predators 24-15-2
Time: 7:30 EST
Location: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI
TV: Fox Sports Detroit, SN, Fox Sports Go, NHL.TV, ESPN+
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
OddsShark Odds- Fav. Preds -195