8:00p ET, Honda Center
Anaheim, CA
TV: Fox Sports Detroit
Radio: 97.1 The Ticket
Ducks Blogs: Anaheim Calling & Battle Of California
Three games in four night against the best teams in the Pacific Division and the Wings are 1-1 so far. As much as I hate to say this, Anaheim is a very good team and it’s going to be a tough game to win. Tough, but doable. Petr Mrazek will get the start tonight.
I’m still too nervous to go into this game expecting a win, but I definitely know we can. The Wings were more physical last night against the Kings and didn’t allow themselves to be pushed around. They’ll need more of the same tonight because the Ducks will certainly look to thug it up and play physical. Thankfully this game is earlier so we’re not quite as sleep deprived come Monday morning. We need this win, both psychologically, and in the standings. There are a few teams it’s extra sweet to beat. The Ducks are one of those teams for me. Go get ’em boys!
The Expected Lineup
Forwards
| Gustav Nyquist | Henrik Zetterberg | Justin Abdelkader |
| Tomas Tatar | Riley Sheahan | Todd Bertuzzi |
| Drew Miller | Joakim Andersson | Mikael Samuelsson |
| Daniel Cleary | Luke Glendening | Patrick Eaves |
Defensemen
| Niklas Kronwall | Brendan Smith |
| Kyle Quincey | Danny DeKeyser |
| Brian Lashoff | Jakub Kindl |
Goaltenders
| Petr Mrazek (Starting) |
| Jimmy Howard |
Scratches: Alexey Marchenko
Injuries: Johan Franzen (concussion), Darren Helm (groin), Pavel Datsyuk(lower body), Jonathan Ericsson (ribs) Daniel Alfredsson (back groin spasms)
LTIR: Stephen Weiss (groin)
| DUCKS | THE MATCH-UP | RED WINGS |
| 34-8-5 (73 pts; 1st in Pacific) | Record | 20-15-10 (50 pts; 4th in Atlantic) |
| 3.36 (3rd in NHL) | Goals Per Game | 2.60 (17th in NHL) |
| 2.45 (11th) | Goals Against Per Game | 2.64 (15th) |
| 16.8% (21st) | Power Play % | 17.2% (19th) |
| 80.9% (16th) | Penalty Kill % | 84.8% (7th) |
| Corey Perry (25 goals) | Goal Leader | Pavel Datsyuk (15 goals) |
| Ryan Getzlaf (52 points) | Points Leader | Henrik Zetterberg (36 points) |
Opponent Outlook
Player to Fear: Ryan Getzlaf has 4 goals and 5 assists in his last 6 games and leads the team in points.
X-Factor: Jonas Hiller… he’s on a 13 game winning streak and has only lost twice since October 24th.
Familiar Faces: Todd Bertuzzi and Drew Miller were both Ducks but I’ve forgiven them.
Thumbs up (One Thing to Like About Anaheim):When things don’t go their way, they act like babies.
Thumbs down (One Thing to Dislike About Anaheim): Corey Perry and Teemu Selanne. Frk those guys.
Bullets of Knowledge
- The Red Wings are 48-19-7-2 (W-L-T-OTL) all-time against the Ducks.
- Last 10 games: Ducks 9-1-0. Detroit 4-5-1./
- Mrazek has never started against the Ducks, but he did play in relief of Gustavsson at the end of the 1st period in a 5-2 loss back on December 17. He allowed 2 goals on 19 shots/
Prediction: Wings go Duck Hunting.
