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GAME DAY: Detroit hosts the Catfish Crew in search of sixth consecutive win (7:00 p.m. ET, Hulu)

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Photo credit:Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Gould
2 years ago
The Detroit Red Wings will look to build upon their current five-game winning streak — a season-best mark — when they play host to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday evening.
Detroit and Nashville boast nearly identical records through the first two months of the season. The Red Wings currently rank fourth in the Atlantic Division at 13–9–3; their Tennessee counterparts sit sixth in the Central with a 13–10–1 line.
The Red Wings and Predators temporarily competed against each other last season as part of the temporary “Discover Central” division. Detroit managed a measly 2–5–1 record against Nashville in 2020–21, scoring just 15 goals in their eight meetings.
Already missing @Tyler Bertuzzi (COVID protocol), the Red Wings will likely be without the services of @Gustav Lindstrom
(lower-body injury) and @Marc Staal (COVID protocol) against Nashville. Lindstrom suffered his injury during Detroit’s 4–3 overtime win against the New York Islanders on Dec. 4.
The Predators are in the midst of an unusual streak. They have alternated between winning one game and losing the next in their last eight contests, with this up-and-down stretch dating back to their 6–3 loss in Montreal on Nov. 20. Nashville is coming off a 4–3 win against the Canadiens on Saturday, so who knows — maybe it’s their turn to lose a game.

The Red Wings

Detroit practiced with these lines on Monday:
@Robby Fabbri – @Dylan Larkin – @Lucas Raymond
@Joe Veleno – @Pius Suter – @Filip Zadina
@Vladislav Namestnikov – @Michael Rasmussen – @Adam Erne
@Givani Smith – @Carter Rowney – @Sam Gagner
Danny DeKeyser – @Moritz Seider
@Nick Leddy – @Filip Hronek
@Daniel Renouf – @Jordan Oesterle
@Alex Nedeljkovic (3–3–3, .920 SV%) is rolling. He’s also coming off two rest days. The Red Wings would be remiss not to put him in the net against Nashville.

The Predators

Nashville went with these combinations against Montreal on Dec. 4:
@Filip Forsberg – @Mikael Granlund – @Matt Duchene
@Eeli Tolvanen – @Ryan Johansen – @Luke Kunin
@Yakov Trenin – @Colton Sissons – @Tanner Jeannot
@Nick Cousins – Tommy Novak – @Philip Tomasino
@Roman Josi – @Dante Fabbro
@Mattias Ekholm – @Alexandre Carrier
@Mark Borowiecki – @Matt Benning
@Juuse Saros (11–8–1, .921 SV%) has started all but four of the Predators’ 24 games this season. Like Nedeljkovic, he’s well-rested and should be more than ready to go in Detroit on Tuesday.

Scoring leaders

Detroit: @Lucas Raymond (10 goals, 22 points); @Dylan Larkin (10 goals, 21 points); @Tyler Bertuzzi (nine goals, 18 points); @Moritz Seider (three goals, 17 points); @Vladislav Namestnikov (eight goals, 13 points).
Nashville: @Mikael Granlund (five goals, 26 points); @Matt Duchene (13 goals, 24 points); @Roman Josi (seven goals, 21 points); @Ryan Johansen (six goals, 19 points); @Filip Forsberg (11 goals, 16 points).

Players to watch

Detroit: What more is there to say about @Moritz Seider? Forget his Calder Trophy candidacy — it’s starting to look like he should get some Norris votes as one of the best defensemen in the entire National Hockey League. He sure looked the part against the Islanders on Saturday, especially when he uncorked a ferocious one-timer in overtime for the game-winning goal.
Nashville: It’s been fun to watch @Matt Duchene bounce back after his miserable 2020–21 season. The 30-year-old centre scored just 13 points in 34 games last season; this year, he already has 13 goals in just 24 contests. Duchene is still quite a ways away from living up to his contract, which has four years at $8 million remaining after this one, but he certainly looks like a first-line forward right now.

Viewing and listening options

Tuesday’s Red Wings game will be broadcast on Hulu starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. It’ll be sent over the airwaves on WXVT-FM 97.1 “The Ticket” in the Detroit area, as well as on the Red Wings’ official website.

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