Gameday Updates
Priorities…
Derek Lalonde joked Red Wings F Lucas Raymond (lower body injury) looking to be on track to return this week because “he doesn’t want to mess with his bobblehead night on Saturday.”
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) February 20, 2023
Derek Lalonde has Jakub Vrana in tonight, Filip Zadina out for Red Wings at Washington Capitals.
— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) February 21, 2023
Will be Vrana’s first game against the Capitals since he was traded to the Red Wings on April 12, 2021.
Also will be his first NHL game since Oct. 15 against Devils after time in player assistance program and in the AHL with Grand Rapids. https://t.co/DrcQyHI7uP
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) February 21, 2023
Capitals say Dowd will be a game-time decision. https://t.co/iMq26YCAnn
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) February 21, 2023
Head coach Peter Laviolette talks facing an improved Detroit side as of late, Nic Dowd as a “game-time decision” and more ahead of tonight’s contest. #CapsWings | @SociosUSA pic.twitter.com/PFLReMKgt9
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 21, 2023
Peter Laviolette on Alex Ovechkin’s potential timeline: “I’m hoping this week. We’ll see; he’s dealing with stuff at home.” #Caps
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) February 20, 2023
Seider embracing responsibilities, challenges in second NHL season.https://t.co/UXnTFNdpwx
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 21, 2023
Projected Lineups
Detroit Red Wings
Lalonde confirmed Vrana will be back in the lineup with Zadina out. Not entirely sure where Vrana will slot in, but here are the projections from DailyFaceoff.
FORWARDS
Tyler Bertuzzi – Dylan Larkin – Dominik Kubalik
Michael Rasmussen – Andrew Copp – Robby Fabbri
Jonatan Berggren – Joe Veleno – David Perron
Jakub Vrana – Pius Suter – Oskar Sundqvist
DEFENSE
Jake Walman – Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot – Filip Hronek
Olli Maatta – Robert Hagg
GOALIES
Ville Husso
Magnus Hellberg
Washington Capitals
FORWARDS
Conor Sheary – Evgeny Kuznetsov – Tom Wilson
Anthony Mantha – Dylan Strome – TJ Oshie
Lars Eller – Nicklas Backstrom – Marcus Johansson
Nicolas Aube-Kubel – Nic Dowd – Garnet Hathaway
DEFENSE
Dmitry Orlov – Trevor van Riemsdyk
Martin Fehervary – Nick Jensen
Erik Gustavsson – Dylan McIlrath
GOALIES
Darcy Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren
Keys to the Game
- Get someone other than the top line involved: The Red Wings’ offense has been rolling lately. The vast majority of the production has come from the top guys: Larkin, Bertuzzi, Fabbri, or Seider. The next step for the Red Wings is to get the depth pieces rolling as well. There are a few prime candidates, like Pius Suter (3 goals in 4 games), who have started to get something going. But it would be peachy to see guys like Rasmussen (who’s level of play has been fantastic the past couple of months), Kubalik, Perron, Copp and the returning Jakub Vrana break through on the scoresheet.
- Take Advantage Defensively: Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson, the Caps’ two biggest offensive drivers, will be out for this game, which is awful timing for the already-struggling Caps (7-11-1 since the start of the New Year.) The Caps haven’t been able to get much offense going without those two. This would be a good opportunity for the Red Wings’ defense to band together for a solid game in front of Husso, keeping the chances in the high-danger areas to a minimum./
