No morning skate for the Wings on a back-to-back night, but we do have a nice thing Henrik Zetterberg said about a kid:
I asked Henrik Zetterberg about Tyler Bertuzzi’s scrappiness. “Awesome. I think he’s been one of our best players since he got the opportunity to play a little bit more. He’ll have a long future here.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) March 16, 2018
Some quick roster news from the other side, as we have a switch on defense
ROSTER NEWS: We recalled defenseman Korbinian Holzer (@Korbi_Holzer) from the @SDGullsAHL. pic.twitter.com/rd6tBGXzWS
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 16, 2018
NEWS: Defenseman Kevin Bieksa will undergo surgery on his left hand today to remove scar tissue. He is expected to be out of the lineup 2-5 weeks. pic.twitter.com/jyvJiqFLUW
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 16, 2018
Updated Lineups
DETROIT RED WINGS
Forwards
Tyler Bertuzzi – Henrik Zetterberg – Gustav Nyquist
Anthony Mantha – Dylan Larkin – Darren Helm
Andreas Athanasiou – Frans Nielsen – Justin Abdelkader
Evgeny Svechnikov – Luke Glendening – Martin Frk
Defense
Jonathan Ericsson – Trevor Daley
Danny DeKeyser – Mike Green
Niklas Kronwall – Nick Jensen
Goalie
Jimmy Howard
Jared Coreau
Power Play
PP1 – Nyquist, Zetterberg, Abdelkader, Athanasiou, Kronwall
PP2 – Bertuzzi, Larkin, Mantha, Frk, Green
ANAHEIM DUCKS
Forwards
Rickard Rakell – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Andrew Cogliano – Ryan Kesler – Jakob Silfverberg
Nick Ritchie – Adam Henrique – Ondrej Kase
Chris Kelly – Derek Grant – J.T. Brown
Defense
Cam Fowler – Brandon Montour
Josh Manson – Hampus Lindholm
Francois Beauchemin – Korbinian Holzer
Goalie
John Gibson
Ryan Miller
Power Play
PP1 – Henrique, Getzlaf, Rakell, Montour, Fowler
PP2 – Kase, Kesler, Perry, Lindholm, Silfverberg
Keys to the Game
Score
I know this is overly simple and obvious but if the Red Wings are going to win tonight they need to score some goals. In 32 games they have played in 2018 they have scored three or more goals 11 times. Right now, this is not a team that is going to win games 2-1 (in that same 32 games their opponents have scored three or more goals 25 times. They have to find ways to get the puck into the opposing net.
Get to the Net
This goes hand in hand with the first key. If they want more goals they are going to have to start getting the puck and bodies to the net. Be it through speed, strength or both they have to get into the home plate area with the puck more often. Once they get there they have to shoot and get it on net. No more ragging the puck along the perimeter. No more passing up a good-looking shot in hopes of finding a great one. No more trying to pick a corner on that good/great shot and missing the net (thus missing a chance of at least a rebound).
Stay away from the Goonery
This has been a frustrating road trip in the midst of a frustrating losing streak at the tail end of a frustrating season for the Red Wings. They are likely tired from playing last night as well as from the grind of a disappointing season. Anaheim is in a dog fight for a playoff spot, have some players who like to play on the edge and those players have no love lost for the Red Wings. The Wings will need to play smart and avoid the extracurriculars that always seem to find their way into a Wing-Ducks game.
