Red Wings-Penguins Preview: A Quick Turnaround Game

The Detroit Red Wings will be playing their second game in just over twelve hours and facing a Pittsburgh Penguins team suiting up quite a bit of veterans. According to DK Pittsburgh Sports’ Dave Molinari, many of the big guns from the Penguins roster will be facing Detroit today. Here’s how the Red Wings lineup will look:

It’s a quick turnaround for the Red Wings, who enjoyed a 5-1 victory over Columbus at Little Caesars Arena last night. The powerplay was popping, Dylan Larkin looked healthy, and Lucas Raymond continued to make a case that he belongs with the big club.

This game will be an interesting one in that Detroit will face a team close to showing as professional of a lineup that you can find. The Red Wings will stream the game as well:

A few thoughts before puck drop:

• This feels like a show me game for Givani Smith. The preseason is just about at its halfway point and there are a number of players playing well enough to be considered for the opening night roster. Smith should be on that roster but he hasn’t exactly stood out. This game should provide him generous ice time both 5v5 and on the man advantage.
• What will Bobby Ryan do today? The veteran forward has enjoyed a nice preseason thus far and it seems a lock he’ll be offered a contract if he has another good game today.
• Alex Cotton should get some decent ice time today and the chance to continue to build his profile. As the Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote about him the other day, Cotton is wanting to tighten his defensive game:

"“I’m an offensive defenceman who tries to produce and run the power play and the area of my game that needs work is in the D zone so here I’ve been trying to show what I can do defensively and how hard I play. They know what I can do offensively, so I’m trying to prove myself defensively. It’s my first time here. I’m just trying to take everything I can from the pros who have been here before. And on the ice I just love the pace. It’s so much better than junior. It’s so much faster,” Cotton said."

The puck drops at noon eastern.