7:30pm ET, Little Caesar’s Arena
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Radio: WXYT-FM 97.1
Islanders Blog: Lighthouse Hockey
On Saturday, the Red Wings got routed by the Washington Capitals, finally ending a very painful November that saw Detroit go 3-11-2 and was outscored 69-32. Which, nice, but also not.
But now it’s a new month, Steve Yzerman took out his Red Wings advent calendar, opened the little December 1 box, and found a new goaltender hidden inside. Will today’s be a crappy off-brand chocolate that tastes like cardboard, or will it be the Red Wings’ first win in nearly three weeks?
The Islanders come to town having shut out the Blue Jackets on Saturday, and they’re 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. They’re also currently the third best team in the league, so we’re really getting a heckuva matchup before a four-day break. How nice.
Mathew Barzal leads New York in scoring (10-12—22), followed by Brock Nelson (8-12—20), Derick Brassard (7-10—17), Anthony Beauvillier (8-8—16), and Josh Bailey (7-8—15). They’ve even got a Toews of their own, Devon, who I assume is Chicago’s Captain Hissyfit’s younger (and hopefully less whiny) brother.
Clearly the Islanders are not exactly an offensive powerhouse, as they’re middle of the league in goals for per game (2.88, 17th in NHL). However, they are much better on the defensive side of things, ranking 4th in the league in goals against per game at 2.42. Thomas Greiss is rocking a .931 save percentage and 2.10 GAA, while Semyon Varlamov is close behind at .918 and 2.50.
So obviously, the Red Wings are going to shut out the Islanders 9-0. Let’s get crazy.
