The Detroit Red Wings (3-3-3) play their second game of their four-game Western road trip tonight with a game against the Vancouver Canucks (2-8-1). The Red Wings have earned at least one point in six of their last seven games. While the Red Wings are three points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the Canucks are 30th out of 32 teams in the NHL overall standings.
Red Wings lines tonight: projected lineup and starting goalie →
Where: Rogers Arena
When: 10 p.m. ET
TV/Radio: DSN/97.1 FM
Odds: Detroit (-1.5, +145), Vancouver (+1.5, -175), DRAFTKINGS
Hot: Alex DeBrincat, recently signed to a seven-year contract paying him $13 million per season, has been Detroit’s best player this season. In his last five games, he has four goals, two assists and is plus-6.
Not: Detroit penalty killing units rank 28th in the NHL with a 68.8% efficiency.
Spotlight: No trade for Dylan Larkin seems imminent. He has one goal and four assists for five points in seven games. He’s coming off a two-point effort in the shootout loss to Seattle.
Story: John Gibson start tonight, but Michal Postava has been called up, on an emergency basis, to replace Daniil Tarasov who tweaked something in Monday’s practice. Postava will play against either Calgary or Edmonton. . . Sheldon Dries was returned to Grand Rapids. Injuries: Marco Kasper (upper body, week-to-week). Mason Appleton (upper body), week-to-week. Neither player is on the road trip; JT Compher (undisclosed), day-to-day. Tarasov (Undisclosed) day-to-day.
Detroit Projected Lines
Alex DeBrincat — Emmitt Finnie — Victor Arvidsson
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard — Dylan Larkin — Lucas Raymond
Michael Rasmussen – Andrew Copp — Carter Mazur
Nate Danielson – JT Compher — Keegan Kolesar
Defense Pairings
Albert Johansson — Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot — Anton Johansson
William Wallinder — Justin Faulk
Goalies
John Gibson (Michal Postava backing up)
Subs, Andreas Englund, Alek Sandin-Pellikka
Vancouver Canucks
Story: The Canucks are last in the NHL in goals-against average (4.63) and penalty-killing efficiency (63.9). But their three-goals-per-game scoring rate is higher than Detroit’s rate. . . The Canucks have given up three or more games in 10 of their 11 games. In their last two games, they have lost to Tampa Bay 4-2 and the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3. Injuries: Thatch Demko (hip surgery), IR; Akil Thomas (undisclosed) out, MacKenzie MacEachern (undisclosed) out; Jack Thompson (undisclosed) out; Marco Rossi (illness) expected to play tonight.
Projected Lines
Drew O’Connor — Elias Pettersson – Linus Karlsson
Paul Cotter — Marco Rossi — Brock Boeser
Debrusk — Filip Chytl — Jonathan Lekkermaki
Liam Ohgren –Max Sasson — Brendan Gallagher
Defense Pairings
Marcus Pettersson — Filip Hronek
Jamie Oleksiak — Tom Willander
Zeev Buium — Victor Mancini
Goalies
Leevi Merilainen (Kevin Lankenen is backup)
Subs:
Kevin has written professionally for almost 50 years. He was USA TODAY’s lead hockey writer from 1986 to 2019. … More about Kevin Allen