Leafs @ Red Wings: Updates, Line Ups, Keys to the Game
Red Wings Updates
Busy day at LCA‼️
— Little Caesars Arena (@LCArena_Detroit) February 26, 2022
With the @DetroitPistons playing at 12PM, and the @DetroitRedWings playing at 7:30PM, we *strongly* encourage fans to pre-purchase parking and arrive early, as high traffic volumes are expected.
Reserve your 🚘 spot now: https://t.co/7Wt9aK3gHt pic.twitter.com/bS54RNz1BY
Put this in here to remind everybody that the ice is gonna suuuuck tonight - J.J.
Leafs Updates
Nick Robertson will make his season debut tomorrow night. #Leafs.
— David Alter (@dalter) February 25, 2022
Red Wings Lines
Zadina -Larkin - Raymond
Fabbri - Suter- Bertuzzi
Namestnikov - Rasmussen - Erne
Veleno - Rowney - Gagner
DeKeyser - Seider
Staal - Hronek
Leddy - Lindstrom
Greiss
Nedeljkovic
Leafs Lines
Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Kase - Tavares - Nylander
Mikheyev - Kampf - Kerfoot
Robertson - Spezza - Simmonds
Rielly - Brodie
Sandin - Lyubushkin
Dermott - Liljegren
Campbell
Mrazek
Three Keys the Game
Tighten up defensively. Like I mentioned in the Morning Skate, Detroit needs to let in fewer goals if they want to come away with a winning record on February. Toronto is an offensively stacked team that will capitalize on mistakes. Detroit’s young defensive corp needs to step up and have a big game tonight to come away with the win. That means you too, Marc Staal.
Protect against the momentum shifts. Detroit has been susceptible in the past few weeks of letting in a goal shortly after scoring one of their own. While we are seeing some growth because in seasons past the team would crumble in the face of this kind of response, Detroit’s next step is to not let in the goal at all.
Get Campbell moving laterally. Toronto journeyman netminder Jack Campbell is getting the nod tonight. The Port Huron native is a big guy at 6’3” and whenever I see goalies like that I always recall a postgame interview with Todd Bertuzzi after a game against the Coyotes when Mike Smith held their net. Todd mentioned that because Smith was so big, the only way you’re going to get a puck past him is to get him moving laterally to create space; if he’s not sliding back and forth across the crease, you’re not going to find daylight. Campbell’s been having a pretty great season thus far, but I think Old Bert’s advice might be right for this one.