More photos » Carlos Osorio - AP

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Since (as the title states) we just did this last week, this will probably be a fairly short preview.

• Jimmy Howard will likely start in net. Howard struggled badly with rebound control against the Sabres and it cost him twice. If he can control the rebounds better tonight, the better the chance the Wings have at pulling out a victory. 
• Needless to say, the Red Wings need to come out with much more purpose than they did last game out against Calgary. Many of you remember seeing a very uninspired and lazy Red Wings team take the ice and lose to Calgary last week. 
• Just like last week, this game is huge in terms of Western Conference playoff implications. Vancouver downed the Flames last night by a score of 3-1, leaving Detroit with sole possession of 8th place. Detroit could go up 3 points on Calgary with only 13 games to play. It wouldn't bury the Flames but it sure would boost the Wings.
• The race for 8th seed is turning out to be a two horse race between Detroit and Calgary. St. Louis, Minnesota, Dallas, and Anaheim are all falling off the map in terms of trying to keep pace. St. Louis is 5 points back of Detroit right now and Anaheim 8 points. 
• Detroit is 6-2-2 in it's last 10. That's not bad, not bad at  all. Calgary is 5-4-1.
• Miikka Kiprusoff will likely start for Calgary. Hopefully, Finland vs. USA Kiprusoff will show up for the game.
• Pavel Datsyuk now has a goal in 4 of the last 5 games and points in 8 of the last 10. Good numbers from the guy you want to lead your offense.
• Of Tomas Holmstrom's 19 goals, 10 have come by way of the power play. Calgary's penalty kill is 10th in the league but we'll see how much all that matters when #96 plants himself in front of Kipper. Calgary takes close to 15 minutes in penalties per game so the Wings should get a few cracks at the PP.
• Matchsticks and Gasoline is your SB Nation affiliate for Calgary Flames stuff, give it a read.

More photos » Paul Chiasson - AP

3 months ago: Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller makes a save against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period of an NHL hockey game on Monday, Dec. 14, 2009 in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Paul Chiasson)

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One of my top ten Bob Marley songs, time for another themed post? Sure. It'll start with lyrics from the song in bold then go into the preview.

• There was a Buffalo soldier  or as he's more commonly known, Ryan Miller. Miller's heroics during the Olympics should earn him a standing ovation as he returns to his home state to start in net tonight. Miller helped to carry the heavy load for the United States in the Olympics and his outstanding performance should be applauded tonight.
• In the heart of America    okay so maybe not quite the heart of America but the game tonight is in the Joe, where the Red Wings are 18-10-5 not the best record but not the worst either. Buffalo is 15-12-3 on the road.
• Fighting on arrival       is pretty much the way Drew Miller has played since he got in Detroit and boy has it payed huge dividends for the Red Wings. Drew has more goals this year with the Red Wings than he had his entire NHL career. He's quickly becoming one of those guys that Detroit fans have a soft spot for because of the way he hustles night in and night out.
• Fighting for survival    is what the Red Wings have been doing the past  couple of weeks. Heading down the final 15 games, they sit one point back of Calgary for the 8th spot in the West. Detroit got a little bit of help in terms of looking in the rear-view last night as Dallas lost, leaving Detroit 5 points ahead of the 10th and 11th place teams. Calgary is idle.
• If you know your history     Jimmy Howard starts for the 15th consecutive game. He's really starting to push his resume towards Calder Trophy status. His record is now 25-15-8 with a 2.35 GAA and a .924 SV%. Jimmy will need to be on his game tonight against a solid Buffalo team.
• Then you would know where I'm coming from  when I say that the Red Wings need to keep passing like they have been recently. It's leading to better scoring opportunities and an all around better game.
• Then you wouldn't have to ask me   about the leading scorer for Buffalo. Thomas Vanek leads the Sabres with 22 goals. Tim Connolly leads Buffalo with overall points at 58 (15 G, 43 A)
• Just who the heck do I think I am?   Brett Lebda's been playing pretty exceptional of late. Maybe he just flipped a switch and things have finally come together for him. He's been a + in 5 of the last 6 games and has had noticeably improved play. I think eight_legged_freaks was on to something perhaps.
• Lastly, check out Die By The Blade for all your Sabres related news, notes, and insight. 

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Thought I'd go for a theme based preview for tomorrow. I'm sure you all remember this beautiful bit of back and forth between The Chief and the nicknamed Pinky over at Hockey Wilderness. Why not re-live some of that magic today with this theme. Wild/Pinky points of view in bolded italics, Red Wings/Brain regular boldface.

• What are we going to tomorrow night, Brain?  The Wings and Wild both play the same team in their next game. Minnesota faces Buffalo on Friday while the Wings get a day off before facing them on Saturday. Insert Buffalo, Wild, Wings joke here.
  
• Same thing we do every night, Pinky... The Wings will start Jimmy Howard in net again tonight. Howard will start his 14th consecutive game in net. Howard's GAA have gone up recently but some of it could be attributed to the quality of competition increasing. Wings need him to be solid in net since the Wild don't give up all too many goals to the opposition.
  
• Try to take over the world and by world I mean take over the spot for 8th in the West and possibly more down the road. The Wings had been churning things along and getting the proverbial engines running before running into a Calgary team that knocked them off track. A win tonight could help push them back in that direction.
  
• NARF!   Minnesota's second in the League in face-off percentage. That's not good news for a Wings team that has struggled at times to find success in the circle. Minny also only gives up 28.4 shots per game, tied for 4th in the League; luckily, they only register 28.7 per (26th).
  
• Egad! you astound me, Brain! Guillame Latendresse leads the Wild in goals with 21. He's only been there for 40 of the 65 games played. That's a trade that worked out in their favor for sure.
• That's a simple task, Pinky.  Pavel Datsyuk's making everything look like a simple task the past couple of games. Datsyuk has racked up 3 goals in the last 3 games and has points in 13 of the last 15 games. In those 15 games, Datsyuk has 19 points--9 by way of goal and 10 by way of assist.
  
• You know Brain I've been thinking I don't want to be an elf anymore.   Okay, they have Christmas colors so I had to put that one in. Although, their third jerseys are sweet.
• What do you want to be, Pinky? That's the question on the minds of a lot of Red Wings in terms of Todd Bertuzzi's drop in performance. Sure he got 2 assists the other night but the Wings are needing him to produce a tad more, especially in the goal department. Bert hasn't scored since January 26 which is a big gap considering he looked at one point like he might explode for a 25-30 goal season.
  
• A dentist!  Cal Clutterbuck (take your time Murph, you've messed it up at least once this season) has probably sent a few players to the dentist. Clutterbuck is second in the League in hits with 256; that's a lot of jaws and teeth rattled.
  
• Has it ever occurred to you, Pinklet, that your scarf is constricting the bloodflow to your head?   Maybe constricted bloodflow is leading to the third period collapses for the Wings. It's as good as any other explanation out there. The roster is simply too talented to give up goals in the clutch but it keeps on happening.
  
• Yes! And it keeps my neck all cozy-warm.  Warm like this Western Conference playoff race. A total of 10 points separates 7th place from 13th place. Minnesota sits 6 points back of Detroit right now for 9th in the West while Detroit is looking to move back in playoff position. A Stars loss keeps Detroit 4 points ahead of them.
• I feel the need. The need for expeditious velocity.  Darren Helm's got plenty of expeditious velocity and he might be able to use that tonight against Minnesota. Helm's started to really become a factor for the Wings in ways other than just penalty killing and speed. He's creating some great chances for himself and for linemates Patrick Eaves and Kris Draper.
• My goodness, someone's at the door. Who could it be? It's Valtteri Filppula joining Henrik Zetterberg and Dan Cleary on the second line. Babcock's put Filppula on the second line in an effort to spark the offense and get the second line going. I like getting Fil more ice time but the only problem I have with it is this: you do so at the expense of puck possession on your third line. Filppula is second on the team in face-off percentage among guys normally taking draws and putting him on the second line on Zetterberg's wing forces Drew Miller to likely center some tomorrow. We'll see how it plays out though.
  

Larry MacDougal - AP

Hopefully we'll see a lot of this.

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There's a lot on the line in terms of the Western Conference race in tonight's game.

• Jimmy Howard will start in net for the Wings tonight against Calgary. Howard let in four goals in two straight games but to two very potent offenses. How will he fare against a Flames team that scores a 27th ranked 2.51 goals per game.
• I know I keep saying this, but this is indeed a huge game for the Wings. A 4 point turnaround for the 8th seed is up for grabs. The Flames sit one point behind the Wings and the Wings sit two back of Nashville. With a Nashville loss and a Detroit win, the Red Wings will tie Nashville for 7th in the West and gain considerable ground on Calgary--in the form of a 3 point lead.
• Jonathan Ericsson's in the line-up for Brett Lebda. Babcock plans on rotating these guys throughout the remainder of the season most likely. I personally prefer Lebda with the way he's played in the past couple of weeks and the way Ericsson has NOT played. 
• Datsyuk and Bertuzzi sat out of practice yesterday. Bertuzzi had a charley horse on his knee and Datsyuk has battled the flu over the past few days. They're both expected to be in the line up today but will there be any carry over?
• Datsyuk showed his pickpocket skillz again on Sunday with 4 takeaways. That takes him to 100 on the season. Guess how much the next closest person has? 67. We love our thief.
• Calgary's top scorer is Jarome Iginla. Iginla has 30 goals and 32 assists.
• Behind the Net's got some pretty neat stuff up about shift length, give it a read.
• Calgary won it's last game out, 5-2 over the Minnesota Wild. Vesa Toskala got the win for Calgary and Jarome Iginla netted a hat trick. Detroit fans wished for a 0 point night out of the Flames but not so much.
• In the last meeting between these two, Calgary won 3-0 as the Wings were shut out for the second consecutive game. The season series is currently split at 1-1, Detroit won the first game 3-1.
• Matchsticks and Gasoline is the Calgary SB Nation site. Give it a look see why don't ya's?
  

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More photos » Carlos Osorio - AP

New at Disney, the Antti Niemi ride.

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Big, big game for the Wings today. 

• Jimmy Howard will start in net for the Red Wings. After a poor showing against Vancouver, Tiberius bounced back strong against the Predators. He played very well and had good angles all night. A lot of credit goes to the defense that limited Nashville to only 22 shots on net.
• The win over the Predators was big for the Wings. Taking control of a game like that is something that has been pretty rare this season. If they're able to put that same effort into the game at a raucous United Center, it should be interesting to see.
• Chicago won it's last game out, 6-3 over Vancouver.
• If I have to hear this song one more time, I will lose my mind.
• Former Red Wing Marian Hossa will face the Red Wings again. Hossa's been held relatively in check in the three games against the Wings so far, only 1 assist in the games so far.
• Chicago holds the season series advantage with a 3-1 record against Detroit. The lone Detroit win was the game in which Johan Franzen tore his ACL. A win today by Detroit would prevent Chicago from winning the season series.
• Cristobal Huet starts for the Blackhawks in net. Huet has a 26-12-4 record with a 2.32 GAA and a .900 SV%.
• Chicago's top goal scorer is Patrick Kane. Kane has lit the lamp 26 times and assisted on 47 other goals. Jonathan Toews is a +21, highest among Chicago players.
• As much as it truly pains me, Patrick Kane is a phenomenal player. Watching him play for the USA in the Olympics was incredible. The amount of skill that guy has at his age (yeah, he's 21) is hard to believe.
• Second City Hockey is the Blackhawks SB Nation affiliate.

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More photos » Mark Humphrey - AP

The Tomas Holmstrom shuffle. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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Ah, Friday finally. Big games on tap tonight and Sunday so a pair of points tonight could be huge for Detroit heading into the Sunday showdown with Chicago.

• Jimmy Howard will start in net for the Wings tonight. Despite giving up the four goals in the loss to Vancouver, Howard will hit the ice again in a game that is big for the Wings heading down the stretch. Some kind of expected Osgood would get the nod but if you ask me, this is Babcock giving Howard a chance to immediately redeem himself.
• And redeeming himself is a must. Howard's play could have been better but he's only going to be as good as the defense in front of him. That defense played too aggressive and tried to step up in the offensive zone too often (Wellwood goal) or tried to hold people at the line (Kesler's first goal).
• Kronwall's game against Vancouver might have been the worst he's played in a long time. It will be interesting to see how he comes out tonight and how he adjusts based on his play on Wednesday. It's hard for me to pick on Nick Jr. but his play was rough to watch the other night.
• Brett Lebda in, Jonathan Ericsson out. I kind of touched on this during the Vancouver game that as much as I originally liked the idea of Ericsson and Lilja being paired, in the long run that won't work well with their sluggish skating. Lebda provides more speed and he had actually been playing pretty solid in the week or two leading up to the Olympics.
• Todd Bertuzzi's been relegated to the third line. Jason Williams worked pretty well with Zetterberg and Cleary last game so Babcock has decided to go with that tonight. But we know how he likes to change lines so...
  
• Johan Franzen is my home boy. Since his return, Franzen's scored 5 points (4 goals,1 assist)  and 25 shots in 5 games and has been the only player fully interested and involved each night seemingly. He's not afraid of going into the middle of the ice and that's what the Wings offense needs.
• Franzen vs. Franson. That coulda been confusing but Franson has had rib injuries keeping him out of the line-up and then he was sent down to Milwaukee of the AHL eventually.
• Nashville won its last game out over the LA Kings by a score of 4-2, putting them 5 points ahead of Detroit and 3 behind Colorado.
• Nashville tightened up their defense for the playoff run by acquiring Denis Grebeshkov
• On the Forecheck is your source for Predators info. Dirk runs a great site over there so give it a look-see. 

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More photos » Jerry S. Mendoza - AP

Who the hell is Leino?

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How do we go back  to watching the NHL after such an exceptional game yesterday between the Canadians and Americans? The show must go on though so let's get started.

• Jimmy Howard will start in net against the Avalanche tonight. It'll be interesting to see how the goalies play after such a long break. There could be some rust on both sides but the Wings can't afford any rust.
• Will Andreas Lilja make an appearance in the line-up? Lilja, as you all know, has been out since February of last year and finally shook the headaches.
• On that same note, Kirk Maltby opted for shoulder surgery and in result freed up the cap space for Lilja to return. Maltby's tenacity on the PK will be missed for sure but it will give other guys a chance to step up and maybe even Lilja, given his shot blocking ability.
• Tonight's game is the first of following the incredible Olympic play.
• Colorado's top goal scorer: the rook, Matt Duchene with 20.
• Craig Anderson will be in net for Colorado and the Wings know about his abilities with his great performance earlier in the year.
• How will the play of Brian Rafalski in the Olympics translate to NHL play? Will he be able to keep up the torrid pace offensively?
• The early exit by Team Sweden should benefit the Red Wings. The four players got some valuable playing time in but there's also a lot to say for the rest that they received.
• The Red Wings need to make up serious ground in the Western Conference and as a reminder, 1 point behind Calgary and tied with Dallas for the 8 spot. That's not terrible in terms of points  but the keeping pace needs to start.
• Johan Franzen played well in his early return before the Olympics. He really turned it on and looked great moving around. How will that continue in tonight's game?
• Key match-up to watch when the Red Wings are on the attack: Johan Franzen's line.
• Key match-up to watch when the Avalanche is attacking: Wojtek Wolski's line.

More photos » Paul Battaglia - AP

29 days ago: Minnesotans from the gold-medal winning 1960 Olympic hockey team: Jack McCarten, from front, John Mayasich, Richard Meredith and Paul Johnson, leave the ice after being honored before an NHL hockey game between the Minnesota Wild and the Vancouver Canucks, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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The men's hockey tournament of the Olympics gets underway today with three games:

First game on tap is the United States and Switzerland at 3 p.m. ET. Brian Rafalski is the lone Red Wing represented in this game and joins a US team that has high expectations following a dismal Torino games. Team USA will face Jonas Hiller in net for Switzerland, a team very thin in NHL players. 

Prediction: USA should win this one with ease but then again, not much comes easy against Jonas Hiller.

Second game on the schedule is Canada and Norway, which gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET. The home team Canada is lead by Wings head coach Mike Babcock and was assembled by former Detroit great and hockey legend of the present Steve Yzerman. Roberto Luongo will start against Norway and the newly acquired Red Wing Ole-Kristian Tollefsen. 

Prediction: The depth of Canada's roster should easily overpower  the Norway squad.

Third and final game is Russia and Latvia at 12 a.m. ET. Pavel Datsyuk's the only guy represented for the Wings in this game and it should be an interesting game to watch as a very high powered Russian attack. Datsyuk will likely be the center on the line in between Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin. Oh, then there's still Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Maxim Afenigenov, etc.  to follow and three very solid goaltenders.

Prediction: Russia bowls over Latvia with ease.

Forward lines for USA, Canada  after jump

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