Red Wings Preview: Svechnikov is Back with Bobby Ryan Out

The Detroit Red Wings continue a difficult stretch of their schedule with their another contest against the red hot Carolina Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes

Detroit has the tall task of attempting to snap the Hurricanes eight-game winning streak. Detroit’s offense is going to have to step up big, as Carolina’s suffocating blue line made it nearly impossible to control the flow of the game on Sunday. Detroit’s penalty kill will also be tested, as the Hurricane’s 31.8 power play percentage is the best in the league.

Anthony Mantha, Filip Zadina and Evgeny Svechnikov are the players to keep an eye on tonight. Mantha and Zadina seem to be getting more confident with each game played, and Svech will be looking to show that he belongs in Detroit permanently, putting an end to the Svechnikov Shuffle to Grand Rapids.

Roster Moves

Bobby Ryan is day to day with an upper body injury, and he’s out of the lineup tonight. In his place steps Svech.

It’s been a frustrating week for Svech. After scoring four points in four games, he was re-assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Fans were not happy with the roster move, and their anger seemed to be validated in Sunday’s loss to the Hurricanes, where the team struggled to spark any sort of offense.

Svech has another shot to prove himself on the main roster. However, what does he need to do to prove that he is a mainstay on the roster? After two healthy scratches before finally being sent down, It’s hard to imagine any sort of performance short of a hat trick will change the mind of Jeff Blashill.