Columbus Blue Jackets (9–7–1) at Detroit Red Wings (8–8–1)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017, 7 p.m. (LITTLE CAESARS ARENA)
The Detroit Red Wings recently got home from a lengthy road trip through Canada, and tonight, will play their first game at Little Caesars Arena since Halloween night. The Red Wings went 2-2-0 on the four-game trip that started in Ottawa and ended in Calgary, with impressive wins over the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
In their glistening new home, the Red Wings are 2-2-1 and 8-8-1 overall, sitting 11 points back of division-leading Tampa Bay but still in the playoff picture. They'll play their next five games at Little Caesars Arena, as well as eight of their next nine. If they weren't yet comfortable in their new digs, they will be by the end of the month.
You Oughta Know: Anthony Mantha
The Red Wings have waited a while and been patient waiting for Mantha, the fleet-footed power forward they drafted in the first round back in 2013. As they're known to do, the Red Wings let Mantha get acclimated to pro hockey and build his confidence in Grand Rapids before it was his time to join the NHL club full-time.
This year, he's been a force; Mantha leads the Red Wings with eight goals and 16 points in 17 games.
Fast Facts
- The Blue Jackets have been a top-five team in shot generation through the season's first month. Entering Friday's game against Carolina, Columbus was fourth in the NHL with 35.8 shots per game.
- Columbus won its final game at Joe Louis Arena, a 3-2 OT win on Feb. 7, 2017.
- Three Michigan Wolverines - Jack Johnson, Tyler Motte and Zach Werenski - will play their first game at Little Caesars Arena tonight.
Previous Matchups
THIS YEAR: First meeting
ALL-TIME SERIES: Red Wings lead, 54-31-1
Keys to the Game
ONE: Start better. It doesn't get much simpler for the Blue Jackets, who have struggled out of the gate over the last couple of weeks. Make the game a long skate for the Red Wings, who are coming home after a long trip.
TWO: Move the puck, move yourself. The Blue Jackets looked disjointed last night and they were slow through the neutral zone – partly because of the Hurricanes' stifling system and also because they weren't skating between the blue lines. A little more speed would do wonders for their attack.
THREE: Pull yourself through. Someone needs to make a play for the Blue Jackets to break this skid, and why not one of their top players? They've been lacking high-end production in the first 17 games and have relied on secondary scoring more than they'd like to.
Red Wings Projected Lineup
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Tomas Tatar | 17 GP, 4-2-6 | 40 | Henrik Zetterberg | 17 GP, 4-7-11 | 14 | Gustav Nyquist | 17 GP, 5-3-8 |
| 72 | Andreas Athanasiou | 7 GP, 1-1-2 | 71 | Dylan Larkin | 17 GP, 2-13-15 | 39 | Anthony Mantha | 17 GP, 8-8-16 |
| 8 | Justin Abdelkader | 17 GP, 2-7-9 | 51 | Frans Nielsen | 17 GP, 6-2-8 | 43 | Darren Helm | 17 GP, 3-4-7 |
| 23 | Scott Wilson | 9 GP, 0-0-0 | 41 | Luke Glendening | 17 GP, 3-0-3 | 42 | Martin Frk | 17 GP, 6-3-9 |
| # | Player | Stats | # | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | Jonathan Ericsson | 17 GP, 1-3-4 | 83 | Trevor Daley | 17 GP, 0-1-1 |
| 55 | Niklas Kronwall | 14 GP, 0-2-2 | 25 | Mike Green | 17 GP, 1-13-14 |
| 61 | Xavier Ouellet | 17 GP, 5-3-8 | 3 | Nick Jensen | 17 GP, 0-5-5 |
| # | Player | GS | W-L-OL | GAA | SV% | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Jimmy Howard | 12 | 6-5-0 | 2.48 | .927 | # |
| 34 | Petr Mrazek | 5 | 2-3-1 | 2.98 | .911 | 1 |
