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No real updates today as the relatively early game today didn’t leave much for earlier, so we’ve got our key matchups and projected lines for you.
Projected Lineups
| DetroitRed Wings | ||
|---|---|---|
| LW | C | RW |
| Tomas Tatar | Henrik Zetterberg | Gustav Nyquist |
| Andreas Athanasiou | Dylan Larkin | Anthony Mantha |
| Darren Helm | Frans Nielsen | Justin Abdelkader |
| Scott Wilson | Luke Glendening | Martin Frk |
| LD | RD | |
| Jonathan Ericsson | Trevor Daley | |
| Xavier Ouellet | Mike Green | |
| Niklas Kronwall | Nick Jensen | |
| Goalie | ||
| Petr Mrazek | ||
| Jimmy Howard | ||
Power Play
PP1 – Nyquist, Zetterberg, Abdelkader, Tatar, Kronwall
PP2 – Athanasiou, Larkin, Mantha, Frk, Green
| Edmonton Oilers | ||
|---|---|---|
| LW | C | RW |
| Patrick Maroon | Connor McDavid | Leon Draisaitl |
| Milan Lucic | Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Anton Slepyshev |
| Drake Caggiula | Ryan Strome | Jussi Jokinen |
| Iiro Pakarinen | Mark Letestu | Zack Kassian |
| LD | RD | |
| Darnell Nurse | Adam Larsson | |
| Oscar Klefbom | Matt Benning | |
| Yohann Auvitu | Kris Russell | |
| G | ||
| Cam Talbot | ||
| Laurent Brossoit | ||
Power Play
PP1 – Letestu, McDavid, Caggiula, Draisaitl, Klefbom
PP2 – Maroon, Strome, Lucic, Nugent-Hopkins, Benning
Keys to the Game
Bottle Up McDavid
Obviously easier said than done but the key to at least trying to stop Connor McDavid is not giving him space to work. His speed, hands and creativity are simply too good to defend against when he has the time and space to use them. They need to be aware of where #97 is at all times. As usual I would love to see Dylan Larkin’s line matched up with McDavid often as they are going to need the speed and skill of the ALM line if they hope to contain McDavid.
Do Not Allow an Early Goal
As I said in the Morning Skate, Edmonton has had issues consistently scoring goals this year. They have been either feast or famine, with a lot more famine then feast. The absolute last thing the Red Wings want to do against a team like that is to give up and early goal and allow them to get confidence and settle into a rhythm. Keep them pressing and looking for answers.