Red Wings vs. Sabres Gameday Updates, Line Combinations, Key Matchups
Diggers are reporting an optional skate for the Wings today in preparation for Buffalo, but lines are as expected
Line Combinations
Forwards
| Justin Abdelkader | Henrik Zetterberg | Dylan Larkin |
| Brad Richards | Pavel Datsyuk | Darren Helm |
| Tomas Tatar | Riley Sheahan | Gustav Nyquist |
| Drew Miller | Luke Glendening | Teemu Pulkkinen |
Defensemen
| Niklas Kronwall | Mike Green |
| Danny DeKeyser | Jonathan Ericsson |
| Alexey Marchenko | Brendan Smith |
Goaltenders
| Jimmy Howard |
| Petr Mrazek |
Power Play Units
- Tatar-Zetterberg-Nyquist-Abdelkader-Kronwall
- Pulkkinen-Datsyuk-Larkin-Richards-Green
Scratches: Jakub Kindl, Joakim Andersson, Tomas Jurco
Injuries: Johan Franzen, Kyle Quincey
The Expected Sabres Lineup
Forwards
| Evander Kane | Ryan O'Reilly | Sam Reinhart |
| Matt Moulson | Jack Eichel | Brian Gionta |
| Nicolas Deslauriers | Zemgus Girgensons | Jamie McGinn |
| Tim Schaller | David Legwand | Marcus Foligno |
Defensemen
| Josh Gorges | Rasmus Ristolainen |
| Jake McCabe | Zach Bogosian |
| Carlo Colaiacovo | Cody Franson |
Goaltenders
| Chad Johnson |
| Linas Ullmark |
Let's Go Red Wings!!!
Key Match-ups
Larkin vs. Eichel
They might not even play head-to-head, but the number two overall pick versus the kid that we're thrilled fell all the way to 15 will be facing off in their first NHL head-to-head game today. It should be a lot of fun to watch. Also, if you kind of squint, Larkin looks enough like Keanu Reeves' Ted to match up next to Eichel's dead-on Alex-Winter-as-Bill character from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Should be a couple of Wyld Stallyns out there tonight
Red Wings vs. Themselves
I don't want to take away from a Buffalo team that is very much trending in the right direction (especially since their fans are so sensitive about it), but the Red Wings are a better team. Sadly, the Red Wings have a habit of not imposing that better team label on inferior teams, but instead have done a lot to show they're capable of grinding out wins against contenders (and also the Leafs). The Wings should not get outplayed and they should be able to not only take but also extend and keep a lead against teams like this.