GAMEDAY PREVIEW Game 35: Detroit Red Wings vs. Minnesota Wild & Projected Line Combos

Tonight, the NHL returns following the Christmas break. The Detroit Red Wings are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Devils. The Wild are coming off a 3-2 win over the Bruins.

Detroit Red Wings (16-13-4, 36 Points) vs. Minnesota Wild (15-13-4, 34 Points)

When: Wednesday, December 27th
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, MN)
TV: Bally Sports Detroit

Scoring Leaders

Detroit Red Wings

Points: Alex DeBrincat – 32
Goals: Alex DeBrincat – 15
Assists: Shayne Gostisbehere – 18

Minnesota Wild

Points: Kirill Kaprizov – 31
Goals: Joel Eriksson Ek – 15
Assists: Mats Zuccarello – 22

Expected Line Combinations

Detroit Red Wings

Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Larkin – Patrick Kane
Joe Veleno – J.T. Compher – Lucas Raymond
Michael Rasmussen – Andrew Copp – David Perron
Robby Fabbri – Austin Czarnik – Daniel Sprong
Jake Walman – Moritz Seider
Ben Chiarot – Jeff Petry
Simon Edvinsson – Shayne Gostisbehere

Minnesota Wild

Kirill Kaprizov – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
Marcus Johansson – Marco Rossi – Jake Lucchini
Marcus Foligno – Frederick Gaudreau – Pat Maroon
Brandon Duhaime – Connor Dewar – Vinni Lettieri
Jacob Middleton – Brock Faber
Alex Goligoski – Zach Bogosian
Jon Merrill – Dakota Mermis

By The Numbers:

League Ranking

Detroit Red Wings

PP%: 21.6 (15)
PK%: 79.5 (18)
GF P/G: 3.53 (5)
GA P/G: 3.32 (21)
Faceoff %: 48.8 (23)

Minnesota Wild

PP%: 18.2 (21)
PK%: 72.2 (30)
GF P/G: 3.03 (20)
GA P/G: 3.16 (16)
Faceoff %: 45.3 (32)

Red Wings Player to Watch: J.T. Compher

Compher signed a five-year deal with the Red Wings this past offseason, and this season has been a solid addition to the lineup, playing in 29 games and recording 20 points on seven goals and 13 assists. He has four power-play points, coming on two goals and two assists.

Compher’s Line Assignments

Compher will center the second line, playing with Joe Veleno and Lucas Raymond. He will also play on the first power play unit with Dylan Larkin, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, and Shayne Gostisbehere.

Compher’s career vs. Minnesota

He has faced the Wild 27 times in his career and recorded 16 points on seven goals and nine assists. When the two teams met earlier this season, Compher had an assist in that game.

Between The Pipes

Detroit: James Reimer (3-5-2, 3.16 GAA)

Reimer last played on Friday against Philadelphia and got the win, stopping 37 of the 43 shots he faced. In his career against the Wild, he is 8-5-1 in 15 games, allowing 34 goals on 429 shots.

Minnesota: Filip Gustavsson (9-8-2, 2.90 GAA)

Gustavvson’s last start came on Thursday against the Canadiens, in which he got the win, stopping 22 of the 25 shots he saw. In his career against Detroit, he is 1-2-0, allowing six goals on 64 shots; he got the start in their last matchup, allowing three goals on 22 shots.

Wrap Up

The Detroit Red Wings are back from the break and are currently sitting three points out of the final Wild Card spot; a win tonight would be significant for Detroit. The Red Wings should have won Saturday against New Jersey, and then a win tonight would have them back in the playoffs, but now they have a big matchup tonight and two more coming up the rest of this week that they need to find a way to pick up points and avenge the recent slide they’ve been on.

In their last ten games against Minnesota, the Red Wings are 3-7-0 and have been outscored 39-27 in those ten games. The Red Wings this season are 1-0-0 against the Wild, beating them 4-1 on November 26th.

ITR 32: The Final Countdown – Inside The Rink

Join Chris and Conrad as they discuss everything in the world of hockey, including the Washington Capitals making two significant contract signings and the NHL Salary Cap to keep rising. John Tortorella is out of Philly, Eastern & Western Conference Roundups & More.

1. ITR 32: The Final Countdown 45:55
2. ITR 31: Let Them Fight 01:03:52
3. ITR 30: Down The Stretch 59:42
4. ITR 29: Trade Deadline Review 01:02:40
5. ITR 28: Deadline Week 44:07