Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Detroit Red Wings: Updates, Lineups, Keys to the Game
Updates
We haven’t seen any line updates after this morning’s skate, so this is all we have at this point.
D Christian Djoos (No. 44) joined #RedWings for the morning skate today after being in quarantine for 10 days. Blashill said he might be available this weekend and could help the power play. He didn't reveal any possible lineup changes tonight vs. CBJ. Bernier expected to start.
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) January 19, 2021
Projected Lines
RED WINGS
Forwards
| Tyler Bertuzzi | Dylan Larkin | Anthony Mantha |
|---|---|---|
| Bobby Ryan | Michael Rasmussen | Filip Zadina |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | Valteri Filppula | Sam Gagner |
| Mathias Brome | Luke Glendening | Frans Nielsen |
Defensemen
| Patrick Nemeth | Filip Hronek |
|---|---|
| Danny DeKeyser | John Merrill |
| Mark Staal | Troy Stecher |
Goalie
| Jonathan Bernier |
|---|
| Thomas Greiss |
BLUE JACKETS
Forwards
| Mikhail Grigorenko | Pierre-Luc Dubois | Oliver Bjorkstrand |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Foligno | Max Domi | Cam Atkinson |
| Boone Jenner | Alexandre Texier | Emil Bemstrom |
| Liam Foudy | Riley Nash | Eric Robinson |
Defensemen
| Zach Werenski | Seth Jones |
|---|---|
| Vladislav Gavrikov | David Savard |
| Michael Del Zotto | Dean Kukan |
Goalie
| Elvis Merzlikins |
|---|
| Joonas Korpisalo |
Keys to the Game
Keep Shooting
The Wings played arguably their best period of hockey in this early 2020-21 campaign in the first period yesterday. Part of the reason is because they were aggressive on the puck (more on that in a minute) but part also was because they took shots when they were there and got those shots to the net. Not every shot is created equal for sure and they do not need to just start chucking pucks the second they get into the offensive zone, but a pretty good hockey player once said that you miss 100% of the shots you do not take.
Stay Aggressive on the Puck
This is something I have hounded on for years now and will continue to until they do it consistently. Detroit’s blue line is not great and no amount of stacking the neutral zone with forwards is going to change that this season. Teams are going to get their chances. The best way for Detroit to limit, or at least offset, that is by being aggressive on the puck from goal line to goal line. They have the talent to be an aggressive forechecking team as well and when the use it they have seen results. They just need to do it all the time, not just some of the time.
Manage the Energy
This plays in part with the aggressive forecheck as well. With this being the second of a back-to-back they need to manage their energy better this game or risk a similar situation like yesterday where they came out on fire but could not match Columbus’ intensity when they ratcheted it up as the game went on.