Kind of a big game tonight. Both Joseph and Edubbnaz have ideas in our Fanposts about what the Wings need to do to accomplish a victory tonight. Jimmy’s your starter for this one. No idea what that means for tomorrow, but who cares about that? We’ve got a game tonight to focus on.
The diggers also reported that Tomas Jurco will slot in for Anthony Mantha on the fourth line tonight, but we’ve yet to learn why. It looks like Sheahan will take over the net-front duties on the 2nd power play unit. You want clarity on why this switch was made. LET’S GET ENLIGHTENED
#RedWings Blashill said final lineup decisions will be made after warmups.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) April 6, 2016
Oh
#RedWings Blashill said Jurco has practiced very well last few weeks but now has a chance to jump through window of opportunity.
— Dana Wakiji (@Dwakiji) April 6, 2016
You got that Jurco? Blashill wants you to jump out a window.
In all seriousness, Wakiji had a few other qutoes from Blashill talking about how happy he’s been with Jurco working in practice and earning this opportunity. It’s a real nice non-answer about why exactly Jurco is replacing Mantha though. Mantha worked late with Smith in practice; that doesn’t necessarily mean that sickness or injury are out of the question, but it sure does seem like Blashill just likes what he sees from Jurco more than what he’s seen from Mantha lately.
Line Combinations
Forwards
| Justin Abdelkader | Henrik Zetterberg | Dylan Larkin |
| Darren Helm | Pavel Datsyuk | Brad Richards |
| Tomas Tatar | Riley Sheahan | Gustav Nyquist |
| Andreas Athanasiou | Luke Glendening | Tomas Jurco |
Defensemen
| Danny DeKeyser | Kyle Quincey |
| Niklas Kronwall | Alexey Marchenko |
| Jonathan Ericsson | Mike Green |
Goaltenders
| Jimmy Howard (starting) |
| Petr Mrazek |
Power Play units:
- Nyquist-Zetterberg-Larkin, Abdelkader (net front), Kronwall
- Tatar-Datsyuk-Sheahan (net front), Richards, Green
Flyers Line Combinations
Forwards
| Brayden Schenn | Claude Giroux | Wayne Simmonds |
| Michael Raffl | Sean Couturier | Jakub Voracek |
| Matt Read | Nick Cousins | Sam Gagner |
| Chris VandeVelde | Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | Ryan White |
Defensemen
| Nick Schultz | Mark Streit |
| Brandon Manning | Shayne Gostisbehere |
| Yevgeni Medvedev | Radko Gudas |
Goaltenders
| Steve Mason (starting) |
| Anthony Stolarz |
Key Matchups:
Desperation vs Discipline
There’s a real fine line between playing scared and using that same fear of failure to motivate something better out of yourself. Both teams are going to be walking that line tonight and the one that controls it better is very likely to be the one that wins this game. Detroit has that veteran presence that should know how to walk the line well, but I think the kids are going to be key. If the leaders on the team can guide them, Detroit should be in good shape by tonight’s end.
Quincey, Marchenko & Ericsson versus Philly’s big forwards
This sounds like a bloodbath waiting to happen, but Simmonds and Voracek are both big-bodied guys while Quincey, Marchenko and Ericsson are the defenders likely to be tasked with trying to neutralize them around the net. We don’t necessarily need wrestling matches out there, but we need the big guys to use their size wisely. Simmonds’ size isn’t what makes him so hard to clear out of the front of the net as much as it’s how well he balances it on the ice. the lanes have to stay clear. Also, Simmonds is a hot-head, so I wouldn’t exactly mind some post-whistle extracurriculars to see if we can’t get him sent to the box a few times.
Fun Facts!
Dave Hakstol looks like the guy at Men’s Wearhouse who gets snooty with you when you say you’re not interested in the sale on socks
— Dick Synonym (@AnthraxJones) January 8, 2016
Dave Hakstol looks like a guy that is disguised as somebody else.
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) March 19, 2016
Dave Hakstol looks like he’d be the dean of a college where the kids are always up to crazy hijinks.
— Tyler (@tylereaux_) March 16, 2016
Dave Hakstol looks like General Hux.
— Pat Iversen (@Pat_Iversen) January 22, 2016
