Red Wings face Zegras and the Ducks at LCA

The Detroit Red Wings look to get back in the win column when they host the Anaheim Ducks.  The Red Wings are one game under .500 on the season after Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Anaheim have won two in a row and are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.

Game time tonight is 7:30 PM ET at LCA in Detroit, MI.

Player Focus: Player of the Week, Moritz Seider

Moritz Seider has been tremendous for the Detroit Red Wings this season.  He is not without his faults but, as a 20-year-old playing defense in the NHL, he has been something that the Detroit Red Wings have been looking for since the retirement of Nicklas Lidstrom.

He is not being compared to Lidstrom, it’s just that he is doing things on the ice that most youngsters don’t attempt in their entire careers.  He plays with a poise that can’t be taught.  He plays instinctively and logs upwards of 25-26 minutes on any given night.  On Dececember 7, against the New York Islanders, Seider played a remarkable 27:19 in only his 25th NHL game.

Seider leads all rookie defesemen in scoring by a wide margin.  In his first 45 NHL games, Seider has scored four goals, 25 assists, 29 points, and a -1 rating.  By comparison, Jamie Drysdale of the Anaheim Ducks is next with 19 points in 47 games.

Seider remains 3rd in NHL rookie scoring behind Lucas Raymond and Anaheim forward Trevor Zegras.  The three look like they are runaway finalists for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.  On the Canadian national telecast of the Toronto/Detroit game on Saturday, the commentators from Toronto mentioned that Seider plays the tougher position on the ice and looks to be the favourite for the NHL’s top rookie award.

Red Wings Notes

• Detroit are currently 5th in the Atlantic Division with a 19-20-6 record
• The Red Wings special teams are currently ranked 27th in the NHL, PP 16.4%, PK 77.0%
• Dylan Larkin leads Detroit with 21 goals and 41 points in 40 games
• Moritz Seider leads the Red Wings with 25 assists in 45 games
• Seider leads all Detroit defensemen in scoring with 29 points
• Bertuzzi continues to lead the Red Wings with a +12 rating
• Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to start and has a 12-12-5 record, 2.97 GAA, and .910 SV% in 32 games

Detroit Projected Lineup

Forwards

Vladislav Namestnikov – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond

Robby Fabbri – Pius Suter – Tyler Bertuzzi

Filip Zadina – Michael Rasmussen – Adam Erne

Givani Smith – Joe Veleno – Sam Gagner

Defensemen

Jordan Oesterle – Moritz Seider

Marc Staal – Filip Hronek

Nick Leddy – Gustav Lindstrom

Goaltenders

Alex Nedeljkovic (starter)

Calvin Pickard

Not in lineup

Riley Barber (lower body), Carter Rowney (undisclosed), Thomas Greiss (COVID-19), Danny DeKeyser (healthy)

Ducks Notes

• Anaheim are currently 2nd in the Pacific Division with a 23-16-8 record
• The Ducks special teams are currently ranked 5th in the NHL, PP 25.0%, PK 83.3%
• Troy Terry leads Anaheim with 25 goals and 41 points in 42 games
• Ryan Getzlaf leads the Ducks with 24 assists in 39 games
• Kevin Shattenkirk leads all Anaheim defensemen with 26 points
• Defenseman Hampus Lindholm leads the Ducks with a +6 rating
• Golatender John Gibson is expected to start and has a 15-10-7 record, 2.51 GAA, and a.922 SV% in 32 games
• Trevor Zegras is currently 2nd in rookie scoring with 12 goals, 20 assists, and 32 points in 41 games

Anaheim Projected Lineup

Forwards

Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Troy Terry

Adam Henrique – Trevor Zegras – Sam Carrick

Derek Grant – Isac Lundestrom – Jakob Silfverberg

Maxime Comtois – Sam Steel – Buddy Robinson

Defensemen

Cam Fowler – Kevin Shattenkirk

Hampus Lindholm – Jamie Drysdale

Simon Benoit – Josh Mahura

Goaltenders

John Gibson (starting)

Anthony Stolarz

Not in lineup

Nicolas Deslauriers (healthy), Vinni Lettieri (healthy), Josh Manson (upper body)