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Preview: Can the Red Wings Follow an Emotional Week With a Win?

By Alex Faber

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 24: Evgeny Svechnikov #77 of the Detroit Red Wings skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Evgeny Svechnikov
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 24: Evgeny Svechnikov #77 of the Detroit Red Wings skates with the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Evgeny Svechnikov /
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The Red Wings are following up an emotional win on Saturday with a series against the Predators, starting tonight.

The question is: can the Wings follow up a hard fought battle with another solid performance, and maybe get a bit of a win streak going?

The Opponent

If there’s a team in the Central Division you want to kickstart a winning streak against (other than the Red Wings), its the Predators . The Predators are a struggling team this year, second to last in the Central, with a losing record, and bottom ten in nearly every statistical category.

Luckily for the Red Wings, Nashville’s greatest weakness is its penalty kill, which is the second worst in the NHL. This might be a chance for the Wings to work on their league-worst power play, which now sits at a dreadful 6.5 percent.

Svech in the Lineup?

Those who were frustrated with the lines set for last Saturday’s matchup should avert their eyes.

There are a couple of moves here that might get a few fan’s blood boiling. After being put on waivers last week, many assumed Frans Nielsen would assume a role on the Wing’s taxi squad in order to make room for younger players, namely Evgeny Svechnikov. However, if these practice lines are anything to go on, it seems that Nielsen has been promoted to third line, while Svech remains the odd man out. Also to note, after scoring his first NHL goal, Mathias Brome has been shuffled down to the bottom line, and Darren Helm remains in his slot on the first line.  Head coach Jeff Blashill said after yesterday’s practice report that Troy Stetcher is day to day for his lower body injury, while there was no update on Tyler Bertuzzi‘s return.

Red Wings Players to Watch

  • Keep on eye on Jonathan Bernier in net. It’ll be hard to follow up such a fantastic performance, but Bernier has had solid stretches throughout the season – maybe he’s due for a little bit of a hot streak.
  • Blashill has made it very clear that Svechnikov needs to take advantage of the minutes he’s given. So if he gets a start, he’s going to need to prove to the Head Coach that he deserves a spot every night in the lineup.
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