Red Wings vs. Sabres Gameday Updates, Line Combinations, Key Matchups
Red Wings Expected Lineups
Forwards
| Dylan Larkin | Henrik Zetterberg | Justin Abdelkader |
| Darren Helm | Pavel Datsyuk | Brad Richards |
| Gustav Nyquist | Riley Sheahan | Tomas Tatar |
| Joakim Andersson | Luke Glendening | Tomas Jurco |
Defensemen
| Niklas Kronwall | Mike Green |
| Danny DeKeyser | Jonathan Ericsson |
| Brendan Smith | Alexey Marchenko |
Goaltenders
| Petr Mrazek (starting) |
| Jimmy Howard |
Scratches: Jakub Kindl
Injuries: Drew Miller (jaw), Teemu Pulkkinen (shoulder), Johan Franzen (concussion), Kyle Quincey (ankle)
Sabres Expected Lineups
Forwards
| Jamie McGinn | Ryan O'Reilly | Sam Reinhart |
| Evander Kane | Jack Eichel | Matt Moulson |
| Zemgus Girgensons | Johan Larsson | Brian Gionta |
| Nicolas Deslauriers | David Legwand | Marcus Foligno |
Defensemen
| Josh Gorges | Rasmus Ristolainen |
| Carlo Colaiacovo | Zach Bogosian |
| Mike Weber | Cody Franson |
Goaltenders
| Linus Ullmark (starting) |
| Chad Johnson |
Key Match-Ups
Petr Mrazek vs. Rasmus Ristolainen
Yes, we have to worry about shutting down a defenseman. Ristolainen had three assists the last time these two teams met and recently had a hat trick for the Sabres. He's having a good December.
Evander Kane vs. Henrik Zetterberg
Kane played like a real jerk last time around and played a key role in the Sabres being able to drive that game to OT by roughing up the Wings' captain and somehow earning Buffalo a power play out of the whole ordeal. Somebody is going to have to keep him in line in this game. Hopefully it will be the refs.
Detroit vs. Aggressive Forechecking
The Wings have struggled with defensive turnovers lately. That's got to stop.