Update:
According to the lines Ansar Khan tweeted from the morning skate, we should expect the same lineup and lines as Wednesday. Howard is your starter.
Red Wings Expected Lineups
Forwards
| Gustav Nyquist | Henrik Zetterberg | Tyler Bertuzzi |
| Tomas Tatar | Dylan Larkin | Andreas Athanasiou |
| Darren Helm | Frans Nielsen | Justin Abdelkader |
| Martin Frk | Anthony Mantha |
Defensemen
| Jonathan Ericsson | Trevor Daley |
| Danny DeKeyser | Mike Green |
| Niklas Kronwall | Nick Jensen |
| Xavier Ouellet |
Goaltenders
| Jimmy Howard (starting) |
| Petr Mrazek |
Power Play Units:
- Nyquist-Zetterberg-Abdelkader (net front), Kronwall-Tatar
- Athanasiou-Larkin-Bertuzzi/Mantha (net front), Frk-Green
Panthers Expected Lineups
Forwards
| Jonathan Huberdeau | Aleksander Barkov | Nick Bjugstad |
| Evgenii Dadonov | Vincent Trocheck | Denis Malgin |
| Jamie McGinn | Jared McCann | Connor Brickley |
| Michael Haley | Derek MacKenzie | Colton Sceviour |
Defensemen
| Keith Yandle | Aaron Ekblad |
| Mike Matheson | Mark Pysyk |
| MacKenzie Weegar | Alex Petrovic |
Goaltenders
| James Reimer (starting) |
| Harri Sateri |
Keys to the Game:
Skate to throat
The Red Wings and Senators went to overtime the other night because of course they did. The Red Wings and Panthers are often the same story. Frankly, I’m sick of going to OT with these jerks, so I’d like to see the Wings take advantage of their ~improved~ home atmosphere, get an early lead, and then add to that lead until Aaron Ekblad begs to stay here instead of getting on the plane out tonight.
Keep up the young work
It was very clearly AA’s game on Wednesday, with two goals and breakaway attempts galore. But with the return of Mantha, Little Bert finding a place, and Larkin being himself, these kids are taking their minutes and making things happen. It’s amazing and beautiful and gives me butterflies and giggles every time I see them try new moves or make gorgeous passing plays at full speed. This is clearly the future of the team at work here, and the more they’re allowed to let loose, the better the team plays.
Fun Facts!
- The Red Wings are 21-16-5 (W-L-OTL) all time against the Panthers in the regular season. Not so fun: they are 7-10-3 at home.
- Jimmy Howard is 4-2-3 in 10 career games against Florida, with a .919 SV% and 2.35 GAA.
- The Florida panther is born with blue eyes and spots that fade into adulthood. They cannot roar, and communicate with other vocalizations such as whistles, chirps, growls, hisses, and purrs. Mrrow./
