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GAME DAY: Athanasiou returns to Detroit as Red Wings host Kings (7:30 p.m. ET, BSDET)

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Photo credit:Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Gould
2 years ago
@Andreas Athanasiou will play his first game as a visitor at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday when his Los Angeles Kings take on the Detroit Red Wings.
The Wings dealt Athanasiou to the Edmonton Oilers during the 2019–20 season, receiving two second-round draft picks and forward @Sam Gagner in return. The Oilers never faced the Red Wings during Athanasiou’s tenure with the team, which lasted just 13 games.
Athanasiou joined the Kings prior to the 2020–21 season. Los Angeles exclusively played against West Division teams that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying Athanasiou’s Red Wings reunion by another season.
The speedy 27-year-old forward has 14 goals and 31 points in 61 games since signing with the Kings, including eight points (four goals, four assists) in 14 contests this year.
In 294 career games over parts of five seasons with the Red Wings, Athanasiou amassed 83 goals and 154 points. 30 of those goals came in 76 games with the team during the 2018–19 season.

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Wednesday’s game will be the second and final meeting between the Red Wings and Kings in 2021–22. Detroit fell by a 4–0 score in Los Angeles back on Jan. 8, with Kings goaltender @Cal Petersen making 21 saves for his first (and, to this day, only) shutout of the season.
The Kings have points in each of their last five games, having gone 3–0–2 over that stretch (which dates back to Jan. 23 in New Jersey).
Detroit is coming off a dramatic 2–1 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday. @Jordan Oesterle scored the game-winner in the extra frame after @Dylan Larkin netted the Wings’ lone goal in regulation.

The Red Wings

Projected lineup via DailyFaceoff.com:
@Vladislav Namestnikov – @Dylan Larkin – @Lucas Raymond
@Robby Fabbri – @Pius Suter – @Tyler Bertuzzi
@Adam Erne – @Michael Rasmussen – @Filip Zadina
@Givani Smith – @Joe Veleno – @Sam Gagner
@Jordan Oesterle – @Moritz Seider
@Marc Staal – @Filip Hronek
Danny DeKeyser – @Gustav Lindstrom
Projected starter: @Alex Nedeljkovic (13–12–5, .910 SV%)

The Kings

Projected lineup via DailyFaceoff.com:
@Alex Iafallo – @Anze Kopitar – @Adrian Kempe
@Trevor Moore – @Phillip Danault – @Viktor Arvidsson
@Andreas Athanasiou – @Quinton Byfield – @Dustin Brown
@Brendan Lemieux – @Blake Lizotte – @Arthur Kaliyev
@Jacob Moverare – @Drew Doughty
@Tobias Bjornfot – @Sean Durzi
@Olli Maatta – @Austin Strand
Projected starter: @Cal Petersen (11–6–1, .900 SV%).

Scoring leaders

Detroit: @Dylan Larkin (23 goals, 43 points); @Tyler Bertuzzi (21 goals, 39 points); @Lucas Raymond (11 goals, 35 points); @Moritz Seider (four goals, 29 points); @Robby Fabbri (12 goals, 22 points).
Los Angeles: @Anze Kopitar (14 goals, 41 points); @Alex Iafallo (14 goals, 28 points); @Adrian Kempe (18 goals, 27 points); @Viktor Arvidsson (12 goals, 27 points); @Drew Doughty (five goals, 23 points).

Players to watch

Detroit: With @Nick Leddy confirmed to be unavailable Wednesday’s game, Danny DeKeyser should return to the lineup to play alongside @Gustav Lindstrom on the Red Wings’ bottom pair. DeKeyser, 31, has struggled mightily alongside @Moritz Seider this season. Perhaps he’ll be able to find a niche playing in a lesser role next to a quietly steady partner in Lindstrom.
Los Angeles: After defying typical aging curves for the past few seasons, it looks like time might finally be catching up with @Dustin Brown. The Kings’ former captain has just six goals and 20 points in 41 games this year after amassing 84 goals and 178 points in 268 games over the last four seasons. The 37-year-old forward is set to become an unrestricted free agent when the eight-year, $5.875 million-AAV contract he signed in 2013 expires this summer.

Viewing and listening options

Wednesday’s game in Detroit will be broadcast on Bally Sports Detroit starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. It’ll be sent over the airwaves on WXYT-FM 97.1 “The Ticket” in the Detroit area, as well as on the Red Wings’ official website.

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