Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (18-12-9, 45 points, 5th place Metropolitan Division) @ Detroit Red Wings (24-14-4, 52 points, 1st place Atlantic Division) When: 12:00 p.m. ET How to Watch: National broadcast on ABC Pens’ Path Ahead: The Pens return to action in just over 24 hours with a Sunday road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team then […]
Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (18-12-9, 45 points, 5th place Metropolitan Division) @ Detroit Red Wings (24-14-4, 52 points, 1st place Atlantic Division)
When: 12:00 p.m. ET
How to Watch: National broadcast on ABC
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Pens return to action in just over 24 hours with a Sunday road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team then gets a three-day break before returning to Pittsburgh for a matchup with the New Jersey Devils next Thursday.
Opponent Track: The Red Wings stayed on top of the Atlantic and the East by getting a point out of Thursday’s overtime loss to the Pens. It’s the first time Detroit has ranked at the top of the conference past New Year’s Day since 2015, according to the NHL.
Season Series: These two teams are set to meet up one more time this season with a March 31 reunion in Pittsburgh.
Hidden Stat: The Penguins are 11-3-3 in their last 17 matchups with the Red Wings, and they’re scored at least four goals in 12 of those contest, according to Penguins PR.
Hidden Stat II: The Pens are 17-7-6 when Blake Lizotte is in the lineup, per Penguins PR.
Getting to know the Red Wings
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Emmitt Finnie – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond
Alex DeBrincat – Andrew Copp – Patrick Kane
Michael Rasmussen – JT Compher – Mason Appleton
Marco Kasper – Nate Danielson – James van Riemsdyk
DEFENSEMEN
Simon Edvinsson / Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot / Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Albert Johansson / Jacob Bernard-Docker
Goalies: Cam Talbot, John Gibson
Potential scratches: Elmer Soderblom, Travis Harmonic
Injured Reserve: none
- Dylan Larkin was named to the USA Olympic roster on Friday. He’s one of four American players to have eclipsed 20 goals this season, although two of those four (the Dallas Stars’ Jason Robertson and Larkin’s Red Wings teammate Alex DeBrincat) were left off the Olympic roster.
Season stats
via hockeydb
- Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said Thursday his team is planning to focus on better defense around the net after allowing Blake Lizotte to smack in a late tying goal off a Detroit defenseman in Thursday night’s overtime loss.
“They’re a really good team around the net. They shoot for sticks. There’s a lot of loose stuff that’s laying around, you can see that on their third goal tonight,” McLellan said. “And I think we did an okay job in that area, but we’ve got to get better.”
And now for the Pens
Projected lines
FORWARDS
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau
Ville Koivunen – Ben Kindel – Rutger McGroarty
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
DEFENSEMEN
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak / Kris Letang
Ryan Shea / Jack St. Ivany
Goalies: Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs
Potential Scratches: Kevin Hayes, Connor Clifton, Ville Koivunen
IR: Evgeni Malkin, Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones
- Evgeni Malkin seemingly took a step toward returning when he rejoined practice Friday for the first time in almost a month, although he still wasn’t taking contact and he won’t be traveling to Detroit or Columbus.
“Today was non-contact, and so, it was his first opportunity for him to kind of be out there,” Dan Muse said about Malkin’s status Friday (h/t team reporter Michelle Crechiolo). “But it’s a good step in the right direction.”
- Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell were named to the Swedish Olympic roster on Friday.
- Dan Muse noted after Thursday’s game that Yegor Chinakhov, who skated 11:06 while recording a shot, a block and three hits in the OT win against the Red Wings, was impacted by how much time the Pens spent on the penalty kill in his team debut.
“There wasn’t a lot there, early on,” Muse said. “That being said, as the game got going, he really did start to show himself. You saw the speed. You saw the skill. He had some really good bursts there. I thought he was working away from the puck, too, like working back, working to defend. So, I thought it was good. I thought it was a good first game. I wish he had been out there a little bit more. I wish, more than that, there could have been a little bit more of a rhythm for him there early on.”
For what it’s worth, NHL Edge has Chinakhov ranked in the 98th percentile in max skating speed (23.6 miles per hour) and 99th percentile in hardest shot (99.03 miles per hour). The Pens will hope to spend more time at even strength and get a better sense of how he fits into the lineup this afternoon in Pittsburgh.
Category: General Sports
