Red Wings vs Capitals: Gameday Updates, Line Combinations, Key Match-Ups
Line Combinations
Red Wings Lineup
Forwards
| Justin Abdelkader | Henrik Zetterberg | Gustav Nyquist |
| Tomas Tatar | Pavel Datsyuk | Dylan Larkin |
| Drew Miller | Andreas Athanasiou | Teemu Pulkkinen |
| Darren Helm | Luke Glendening | Riley Sheahan |
Defensemen
| Niklas Kronwall | Mike Green |
| Danny DeKeyser | Jonathan Ericsson |
| Jakub Kindl | Alexey Marchenko |
Goaltenders
| Petr Mrazek |
| Jimmy Howard |
Scratches: Joakim Andersson, Tomas Jurco (conditioning in Grand Rapids), Brendan Smith (fighting Cyrus the Virus)
Injuries: Brad Richards, Johan Franzen, Kyle Quincey, Landon Ferraro
- Power-play Units:
1st Unit: Abdelkader, Zetterberg, Nyquist, Kronwall, Green 2nd Unit: Tatar, Datsyuk, Larkin, Kindl, Pulkkinen
Capitals Lineup
Forwards
| Alexander Ovechkin | Nicklas Backstrom | TJ Oshie |
| Marcus Johansson | Evgeny Kuznetsov | Andre Burakovsky |
| Jason Chimera | Jay Beagle | Justin Williams |
| Brooks Laich | Michael Latta | Tom Wilson |
Defensemen
| Nate Schmidt | John Carlson |
| Karl Alzner | Matt Niskanen |
| Dmtri Orlov | Taylor Chorney |
Goaltenders
| Braden Holtby |
| Philipp Grubauer |
Fun Facts!
Red Wings all-time record against Washington: 48-42-16-2
Red Wings goals for per game (GF/G) against Washington: 3.23
Red Wings goals against per game (GA/G) against Washington: 3.26
Key Match-Ups:
Alexander Ovechkin vs Detroit Red Wings
I say this because the last time we saw the Capitals, Ovechkin tied his career-high shots on goal, which was 15. That's insane. The fact that he didn't score a goal was absolute wizardry, and if I was a betting man, if the Wings give him the same opportunity tonight, they might not be so fortunate. Whether it be even strength, or on the power-play, they need to shut this guy down. The good news is, I don't think we'll be seeing Luke Glendening against this line tonight. But you know, I've been wrong before. Actually many times before. That doesn't matter. Tonight I am right. Smooches.
Goaltending vs Goaltending
Petr Mrazek shut the hell out of the Capitals last time. He played a great game, and will need to bounce back after a disappointing loss against the Boston Bruins last Saturday. The Capitals are a top-ten team in terms of goal-scoring, and goals-against in the league, so if this game is to be won by Detroit, goaltending will need to be top-notch. Defense should probably be good, too. But hey, what do I know?