8:00p ET, Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan
TV: NBCSN
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Leafs Blogs: PPP
Hey, we got hockey tonight! Neat. The Red Wings are riding a three game winning streak after weathering the storm against the Hurricanes, and taking them down 3-1 off of brilliant games by Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Tatar, and Petr Mrazek.
The last time we saw the Wings play the Leafs, it was quite possibly the worst game Detroit has played all year. I think this team is much different today than it was then, so I like the matchup. I’m hoping to see the Zetterberg line shutdown the Kessel line, and let the red-hot 2nd and 3rd lines take it from there. Detroit has a really good chance at creating more space in the standings. They have a pretty favorable schedule coming up, so putting these points away will play a huge part down the road. Detroit was largely out-possessed by Carolina the other day, but they still found a way to win. Tomas Jurco is going to get more reps at first line opportunities, and that’s a great thing. He’s been fantastic over the past 10 games, and has played a huge part in the teams current success. Let’s get the toasters ready, folks. Randy Carlyle wants a pop tart.
The Expected Lineups
Forwards
| Gustav Nyquist | Henrik Zetterberg | Tomas Jurco |
| Tomas Tatar | Pavel Datsyuk | Darren Helm |
| Johan Franzen | Riley Sheahan | Stephen Weiss |
| Drew Miller | Luke Glendening | Joakim Andersson |
Defensemen
| Niklas Kronwall | Jonathan Ericsson |
| Kyle Quincey | Danny DeKeyser |
| Brendan Smith | Jakub Kindl (??) |
Goaltenders
| Jimmy Howard (starting) |
| Petr Mrazek |
Scratches: Daniel Cleary, & Jakub Kindl
Injuries: Justin Abdelkader (shoulder)
Forwards
| James Van Riemsdyk | Tyler Bozak | Phil Kessel |
| Joffrey Lupul | Nazem Kadri | Mike Santorelli |
| Daniel Winnik | Peter Holland | Davey Clarkman |
| David Booth | Trevor Smith | Richard Panik |
Defensemen
| Dion Phaneuf | Cody Franson |
| Jake Gardiner | Korbinian Holzer |
| Morgan Rielly | Stephane Robidas |
Goaltenders
| James Reimer (Starting) |
| Jonathan Bernier |
Opponent Outlook
Player to Fear: Phil the Thrill. He might look like a custard-filled eclair, but the guy moves like a god damn antelope.
X-Factor: James Reimer. Good goalie, just a really bad coach.
Familiar Faces: Brendan Shanahan?
Stuff to think about:
- Detroit has won their 8 out of 10 games.
- Toronto has won 6 out of their last 10 games
- James Reimer is a career 0-2-0 when starting at JLA./
