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7:00p ET, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Uniondale, NY
TV: Fox Sports Detroit
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Islanders Blog: Lighthouse Hockey
The Red Wings have lost seven consecutive games on home ice.
Good thing tonight's game is on the road!
Oh wait… What's that you say?… The Red Wings are winless against the Islanders since 2008? And they lost 5-1 the last time they played? And the time before that they lost in OT? And the time before that they lost 6-0? And the time before that they lost 2-0?
Sh*t.
This is going to be a fun.
The Expected Lineup
Forwards
Henrik Zetterberg | Pavel Datsyuk | Todd Bertuzzi |
Johan Franzen | Darren Helm | Tomas Tatar |
Daniel Cleary | Joakim Andersson | Mikael Samuelsson |
Drew Miller | Luke Glendening | Justin Abdelkader |
Defensemen
Niklas Kronwall | Jonathan Ericsson |
Kyle Quincey | Danny DeKeyser |
Brian Lashoff | Jakub Kindl |
Goaltenders
Jonas Gustavsson (starting) |
Jimmy Howard |
Scratches: Daniel Alfredsson (groin)
NOTE: Alfredsson could play. Glendening would then be scratched.
Injuries: Brendan Smith (shoulder), Stephen Weiss (groin)
RED WINGS | THE MATCH-UP | ISLANDERS |
9-5-6 (23 pts; 3rd in Atlantic) | Record | 7-10-3 (17 pts; 6th in Metro) |
2.50 (20th in NHL) | Goals Per Game | 2.70 (14th in NHL) |
2.60 (16th) | Goals Against Per Game | 3.10 (26th) |
20.3% (11th) | Power Play % | 19.1% (14th) |
86.3% (6th) | Penalty Kill % | 73.4% (30th) |
Henrik Zetterberg (10 goals) | Goal Leader | Frans Nielsen (9 goals) |
Henrik Zetterberg (21 points) | Points Leader | John Tavares (23 points) |
Opponent Outlook
Player to Fear: John Tavares. He's good. Real good. He had a hip issue the other night, but played on Thursday. As far as I know, I would assume he goes tonight too.
X-Factor: Thomas Vanek has missed the last three games due to injury. If he plays, he definitely changes the complexity of this game.
Familiar Faces: The Wings signed Evgeni Nabokov a few years back to be their back up netminder in the middle of the season. The Islanders claimed him on re-entry waivers (he was playing overseas). That counts as a familiar face.
Thumbs up (One Thing to Like About Long Island): It's not New Jersey.
Thumbs down (One Thing to Dislike About Long Island): Their third jerseys are stupid.
Bullets of Knowledge
- The Red Wings are 46-44-6-1 (W-L-T-OTL) all-time against the Islanders.
- Last 10 games: NY Islanders 3-7-0. Detroit 3-2-5.
- The Wings are currently 2-2-2 on Saturdays.
- Gustavsson is 2-1-1 with a 1.72 GAA, .929 SV% with one shutout in 4 career starts against the Islanders.
Prediction: Red Wings lose 3-2 in extra time. Abdelkader is your player of the game.