Preview: Red Wings host rival Maple Leafs at LCA

In their 3rd meeting of the season, the Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight in Detroit.  The Maple Leafs won the previous two meetings by 5-4 and 7-4 scores.  Toronto are currently 3rd in the Atlantic Division and are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games.

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

Player Focus:  Tyler Bertuzzi

Tyler Bertuzzi is currently second in scoring for the Red Wings.  In 44 games this season, Bertuzzi has scored 23 goals and 21 assists, for 44 points, and a +10 rating.

Bertuzzi has scored four goals and eight points in his last 10 games.  In his only game against Toronto this season, Bertuzzi scored one goal and three shots on goal in 18:29 TOI.

After this season, Bertuzzi has one year remaining on his current contract before he becomes an UFA.  Bertuzzi has a cap hit of $4.75M annually.

Red Wings Notes

• Detroit are currently 5th in the Atlantic Division with a 23-23-6 record
• The Red Wings are currently 25th in PP (17.0%) and 24th in PK (76.4%)
• Dylan Larkin leads Detroit with 26 goals and 54 points in 47 games
• Moritz Seider leads the Red Wings with 32 assists in 52 games
• Seider leads all Detroit defensemen in scoring with five goals and 37 points
• Defenseman Marc Staal leads the Red Wings with a +11 rating
• Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is expected to start and has a 14-14-5 record, 3.01 GAA, and .907 SV% in 36 games

Detroit Projected Lineup

Forwards

Filip Zadina – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond

Robby Fabbri – Pius Suter – Tyler Bertuzzi

Michael Rasmussen – Joe Veleno – Valdislav Namestnikov

Adam Erne – Carter Rowney – Sam Gagner

Defensemen

Nick Leddy – Moritz Seider

Marc Staal – Filip Hronek

Danny DeKeyser – Gustav Lindstrom

Goaltenders

Alex Nedeljkovic (starter)

Thomas Greiss

Not in lineup

Riley Barber (lower body), Jordan Oesterle (healthy), Troy Stecher (healthy), Jakub Vrana (upper body), Givani Smith (healthy)

Maple Leafs Notes

• Toronto are currently 3rd in the Atlantic Division with a 33-14-4 record
• The Maple Leafs special teams are currently1st in PP (30.0%) and 6th in PK (84.7%)
• Auston Matthews is 4th in NHL scoring with 64 points and leads the NHL and Toronto with 36 goals in 48 games
• Defenseman Morgan Rielly leads the Maple Leafs with 37 assists in 51 games
• Rielly also leads all Toronto defensemen in scoring with 43 points
• Mitch Marner and Alexander Kerfoot lead the Maples Leafs with +14 ratings
• Goaltender Jack Campbell is expected to start and has a 23-8-4 record, 2.46 GAA, a .920 SV%, and four SO in 37 games
• Top forward prospect Nicholas Robertson has been recalled from the AHL and will play tonight

Toronto Projected Lineup

Forwards

Michael Bunting – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner

Ondrej Kase – John Tavares – William Nylander

Ilya Mikheyev – David Kampf – Alexander Kerfoot

Nicholas Robertson  – Jason Spezza – Wayne Simmonds

Defensemen

Morgan Rielly – Timothy Liljegren

T.J. Brodie – Justin Holl

Rasmus Sandin – Ilya Lyubushkin

Goaltenders

Jack Campbell  (starting)

Petr Mrazek

Not in lineup

Kyle Clifford (healthy), Pierre Engvall (healthy), Travis Dermott (healthy)