Red Wings Updates
UPDATE: The #RedWings today assigned goaltender Calvin Pickard to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins and reassigned defenseman Luke Witkowski to the Griffins from the team’s taxi squad.
Details: https://t.co/z6Er05NlmC pic.twitter.com/cRW1BopGoa
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 31, 2022
Still possible Pickard comes back up for tonight’s taxi squad, but unless we hear otherwise Greiss is off protocol I guess.
Ducks Updates
It’s a matchup in Motown tonight! #FlyTogether https://t.co/k7YTW68eYF
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 31, 2022
“He is truly elite at what he does.”
Cam Fowler, John Gibson and Coach Ward spoke following our win. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/leDJraJ94x— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 29, 2022
Red Wings Lines
Namestnikov – Larkin – Raymond
Bertuzzi – Suter – Fabbri
Erne – Rasmussen – Zadina
Smith – Veleno – Gagner
Oesterle – Seider
Staal – Hronek
Leddy – Lindstrom
Nedeljkovic
Greiss
Ducks Lines
Rakell – Getzlaf – Terry
Henrique – Zegras – Carrick
Grant – Lundestrom – Silfverberg
Comtois – Steel – Robinson
Fowler – Shattenkirk
Lindholm – Drysdale
Benoit – Mahura
Gibson
Stolarz
Three Keys to the Game
Defensive Responsibility. The Ducks look fairly similar on paper to the Red Wings, skill-wise. The Ducks are an older team, though, and their defensemen play a pretty mature game. Obviously, when you let in 15 goals in two of your last three games, you can stand to learn something about defensive responsibility. While the Wings doing a pretty great job making fast break chances, they must cut down on giving the other team quite so many.
Keep winning down low. One of the strengths of this Detroit squad is beating teams down low, behind the red line. With such a topsy-turvy previous week, Detroit should focus on what they do well, and that is beat teams behind the net. Getting Namestnikov and Bertuzzi on the top six shoveling pucks out and placing them in front of Gibson all night.
Be the luckier team. Detroit didn’t play a flawless game against the Leafs, but they played very well overall. Toronto got lucky on some bounces. I need to see Pickard on the bench tonight hunched over, staring at John Gibson, with his index fingers pushed to his temples, willing the fates to bend his way. I want Toronto’s lucky bounces tonight.
