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730p ET, Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, MI
TV: Fox Sports Detroit,
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Stars Blog: Defending Big D
So, uh, Damien Brunner, right?
Thank goodness that kid has some hands. He made last night so much more enjoyable. Someone once said that a win is a win is a win and I agree with that person. I don't care if the Red Wings only beat the Columbus Blue Jackets in a shootout. They won. That's what I care about.
Tonight it's about capitalizing on that momentum. Joe Louis Arena is going to be filled with crazy fans ready to cheer on their team. The Wings need to take that energy and make it translate on the ice. The Dallas Stars were off last night, but both teams are playing their third game in four nights. They're both 1-1-0. A win in regulation would be big. Every point really does matter.
Jonathan Ericsson could return to the lineup after missing last night's game due to injury. His replacement, Brian Lashoff, was steady as a rock on the blue line and even scored his first career goal in his first career NHL game. To nobody's surprise, Carlo Colaiacovo is hurt. He left with a shoulder injury and will not be returning anytime soon. That means Lashoff will stay in the lineup. If Ericsson can't go it will be interesting to see who will play. Chad Billins or Adam Almqvist could be recalled from Grand Rapids or Nathan Paetsch could be signed to a two-way deal. Regardless, the Wings are dropping like flies. It will be good to get Darren Helm, Todd Bertuzzi and Jakub Kindl back on Friday.
The Expected Lineup
Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Damien Brunner
Mikael Samuelsson - Valtteri Filppula - Johan Franzen
Daniel Cleary - Justin Abdelkader - Drew Miller
Patrick Eaves - Cory Emmerton - Jordin Tootoo
*
Niklas Kronwall - Brian Lashoff
Kyle Quincey - Brendan Smith
Ian White - ?
*
Jimmy Howard (starting)
Thomas McCollum
Scratches: None because everyone is hurt or playing.
Injuries: Darren Helm (back), Todd Bertuzzi (mono), Jakub Kindl (groin), Jonas Gustavsson (groin), Carlo Colaiacovo (glass bones) and Jan Mursak (shoulder)
| STARS | THE MATCH-UP | RED WINGS |
| 1-1-0 (2 pts; T-6th in West) | Record | 1-1-0 (2 pts; T-6th in West) |
| 2.0 (T-18th in NHL) | Goals Per Game | 1.5 (T-25th in NHL) |
| 2.0 (T-9th) | Goals Against Per Game | 4.5 (T-23rd) |
| 25.0% (T-12th) | Power Play % | 0.0% (T-25th) |
| 75.0% (T-16th) | Penalty Kill % | 50.0% (T-25th) |
| Jaromir Jagr (2 goals) | Goal Leader | 3 tied with 1 goal |
| Jaromir Jagr (4 points) | Points Leader | 2 tied with 2 points |
- The Red Wings are 105-96-34-5 (W-L-T-OTL) all-time against the Dallas Stars.
- These aren't your grandfather's Dallas Stars... but they might be as old as your grandfather. Their two 40-year-olds, Jagr and Ray Whitney, are the team's top two scorers.
- The Stars are also playing their third game in four nights. They played Saturday and Sunday splitting games with the Coyotes and Wild.
- Last time the these two teams squared off the Wings broke their franchise record for consecutive wins at home. Detroit won 3-1 on February 14, 2012. Eight different players registered a point. Zetterberg, Brad Stuart and Jiri Hudler were your goal scorers. I can guarantee you that two of those three will not be scoring in this game tonight.
- The Wings swept the season series from the Stars last year 4-0-0.
- Howard is 4-4-1 with a 2.55 GAA and .910 SV% in his career against the Stars.